


Loki's Little Angels

by raebands



Category: Norse Religion & Lore, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Clint and Natasha get a taste of parenthood, Cute Kids, Family Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 21:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19385293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raebands/pseuds/raebands
Summary: When Loki and Sigyn go out on the night of their anniversary, someone has to take care of their three little kids, Vali, Narfi, and Hela. Loki recruits everybody's favorite master assassins for the job. Was this a good idea? Maybe not so much...





	1. The Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> After writing Loki's kids into some of my other stories, I really wanted to write more about them.   
> They're my sweet little babies and I had a lot of fun writing them! 
> 
> This goes along with my other stories, so it's in an established universe, but it isn't part of that series. Just an accompaniment.

Things have changed in the five months that have passed since the Avengers went up to visit Asgard.  Loki and Thor have moved down to Midgard and the god of thunder is staying in Stark Tower. Or, what was Stark Tower. The building is now called Avengers Tower.

Steve had been unable to pay his rent for the apartment he was staying in, so Tony had invited him to stay in his giant tower. Bruce had been staying there for a while, so that made three of the Avengers staying there. Then Clint and Natasha's rooms had been rented out to two new agents at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Five super heroes staying in one tower. Then Thor had said that he wanted to stay with his Midgardian friends. Six super heroes. Loki and his family had moved down to Earth to be closer to Thor. And the kids absolutely adore Clint.

Loki doesn't live in Avengers Tower, but he isn't too far away. He visits often, but most of the time his children and wife stay home. Especially since Sigyn could go into labor any day now. She seems to glow with happiness whenever the Avengers see her.

Right now, Loki and Sigyn are waiting in their living room for Clint to show up. The two of them are going out for the night. It is their anniversary, after all. Narfi and Vali can hardly contain their excitement. They haven't gotten still all day, and quite frankly, they're starting to get on Loki's nerves. He turns to his boys and says irritably, "Could you please get still?"

Sigyn slaps his shoulder, smiling. "Stop it. They're just excited."

Loki sighs and says apologetically, "Sorry, boys. I'm glad you're happy."

Vali and Narfi glance at each other before running to the window to watch for Clint's arrival. Hela follows more slowly, holding onto things or keeping a hand on the wall. She walks with a sort of hobble, due to her thinner, withered right leg. She finally gets to them and Narfi hoists her up onto his shoulders. She's so small that it's easy for him to do so.

Loki smiles at Sigyn, who rests her head on his shoulder. He puts an arm around her waist and kisses the top of her head. They've been married for twelve years now. Nobody would have guessed that the man who tried to take over the world had had a wife at home who had just given birth to a little girl. A little girl who was half dead and thought to be mentally challenged. But he did. And he loved them both dearly. The need to get back to them was the only thing that kept him going. The one thing that made him need to please the Chitauri. If he could just get Midgard, he could go home. If he could win, he would be able to see his family again. His twin sons. His beautiful wife. His tiny little daughter who hadn't even discovered her hands yet.

But now he is home. Now he can see his family every day. Now he never has to miss a moment of his children's lives. And no one will be able to take that away from him again. He has them, they are his own, and no one can touch them or take them away.

 

* * *

 

 

As Clint drives down the road to Loki's house, he breathes out, "Whoa..."

The place is huge. It's got at least three stories, two chimneys and a front porch. But it doesn't look friendly. Its paint is an old, dull looking brown. The roof is black and angular. It looks like a villain's house. Clint prods Natasha's arm. She looks up from her book and shrugs.

"He's Loki. Did you expect a doll house?"

Clint looks back at the road, appearing a little put out. "No, but I thought he might have something a little less like a haunted house. He does have kids, you know. That's why we're here."

Natasha shrugs again and looks back down at her book.

When Clint pulls up in the gravel driveway, Vali jumps up and down and Narfi shouts, "Hurray, hurray! He's here, he's here!"

Loki smiles again and says over the clamor, "Alright, you three. Time for us to go over the rules."

The twins run over, Hela still on Narfi's shoulders. Loki asks, "What's rule number one?"

Vali answers, "Rule number one: No running in the house."

Loki nods. "Exactly. And you already broke that rule."

The twins look down at the floor, but Hela says cheerfully, "I didn't!"

Loki can't help but chuckle. He then prompts, "Rule number two?" to which Narfi replies, "Rule number two: No yelling or shouting."

Loki nods. "Rule number three?"

Hela says softly, "Be respeck-reshpect-respectool."

Loki nods. "That's right. Be respectful. You all know what to do if there's an emergency, right?"

Three nods and one, "Yup!" from Narfi.

Loki asks, "What, then? What do you do?"

Narfi and Vali answer at the same time, "If there's an emergency, call 911."

Loki nods, looking satisfied. He's certain that Clint will be able to take care of them, but he wanted to make sure that they knew what to do in the unlikely case that something happen to the archer himself. It turns out that they did remember some of what he taught them about Midgardian safety. At least what number to call.

There's a knock on the door and Sigyn goes to answer it. She smiles and says to Clint and Natasha, "Come in. They can hardly wait to see you."

As soon as the boys see Clint, they run straight toward him, shouting, "Clint, Clint! You're finally here!"

Loki rubs his temple, sighing. The first two rules have already been forgotten. Hopefully they will be a bit more obedient when all the excitement dies down a bit.

Vali wraps his arms around Clint's left leg and the archer ruffles up the kid's carefully combed hair. Narfi gets close enough for Hela to be able to hug Clint, too. He scoops the girl from her brother's shoulders and holds her on his hip. Narfi hugs his other leg, taking away his ability to walk.

Natasha watches this with a smug expression. Clint had bet that the kids would greet her just as eagerly as himself, and she had taken the bet. Obviously she had won, as none of the children seem to have noticed the redhead.

Hela turns her head and says quietly, "I missed you, too."   
This makes Natasha smile a bit and she says, "I've been looking forward to seeing you all again. But I must be invisible to your brothers. What do you think?"

Hela nods solemnly. Narfi and Vali choose that moment to look up at Natasha and grin. They abandon Clint's legs and wrap their arms around her, instead. She hugs their heads to her stomach and smiles. Maybe they did care for her, too.

Loki smiles at the little group and says, "Hela has to go to bed around eight, but the twins stay up till nine. Sigyn already has dinner ready, so you don't have to worry about that. Hela gets a story and don't forget to tuck her in. If you don't do so, she'll get up fifteen minutes later. They should have their baths around thirty minutes before bed. Hela will need some help getting undressed, in and out of the bathtub and into her sleep clothes. She'll also need assistance with her hair."

Clint looks at Natasha and she nods. Clint looks relieved. He didn't want to have to be the one to dress the girl. It's not that he thinks that she wouldn't behave, but that he's afraid that he would hurt her. Hela gives him a crooked smile and he hugs her closer.

Loki asks, "Any questions?"

Clint nods. "Just one. I've got a couple movies picked out for us all to watch. They are allowed to watch them, right?"

Loki is about to answer when Sigyn interrupts, "Of course. As long as there isn't anything bad in them."

Clint shakes his head, smiling. Natasha says, "Just a couple of the classic Disney movies. They're G."

Sigyn nods, smiling. "Okay then. I trust you. Just have fun, okay?"

Clint, Natasha, Hela, Vali and Narfi all nod. The twins say simultaneously, "Of course we will!"

Loki crouches down and says, "Come on, you three. Time for bedtime kisses."

Clint throws Natasha a glance, an eyebrow raised. Natasha shrugs. Hela wriggles down out of Clint's arms and hobbles over to her father and falls into his arms. He hugs her close and says, kissing her cheek after every phrase, "The sun loves you, the moon loves you, every star loves you. But most of all," here he pauses and buries his face in her belly. "Dada loves you!"

Hela giggles and squirms a bit. She says softly, "Baba loves you!"

Clint raises the other eyebrow. He mouths, "Baba?" Natasha elbows his shoulder and hisses, "Shut up."

Hela makes her slow way over to Sigyn and holds up her arms. Sigyn lifts her up into her arms and kisses her cheek. She does the same as Loki and kisses her in between each phrase. "The plants love you, the animals love you, every living thing loves you. But most of all, " she pauses, too, and rubs her nose against Hela's.  "Mama loves you!"

Hela giggles again. Her little laugh is really quite cute. She says quietly, "Baba loves you, too!"

Narfi is next for his kisses. He walks over to Loki and wraps his arms around his father's neck. Loki puts his arms around his son and says, "You are my sunshine and my happiness. You're the source of happy days and why the sun is so bright. But most of all, you're my little boy, whom I love."

Narfi smiles and says, "I love you, too, Dada."

Clint says softly, "I'm actually a bit jealous." Natasha gently takes his hand.

Narfi moves over to Sigyn and she says, "You give me all the joy in the world and you make me smile. Your kindness shines brighter than any flame in the world. Your heart is soft and kind. But most of all, I love you because you are my own little boy." She kisses the top of his head, smiling.

Narfi grins, showing the gap between his top two front teeth. "I love you, too, Mama."

Now it's Vali's turn. He goes over to Loki and puts his little arms around his father's neck, just as Narfi had done. Loki wraps his arms around the boy and kisses his forehead. "You are my quiet moment, my peaceful resting. You are the light in the night and why the moon changes shapes. But most of all, you're my little boy, whom I will always love."

Vali smiles and says, "I love you, Dada."

He then moves over to his mother. Sigyn smiles down at him and says, "You're my little lap child, the one who always comforts me. Your eyes shine like the stars in the heavens above. You give the little owls a light to fly by at night. But most of all, I love you because you are my little boy, whom I love." She kisses his head, too, still smiling.

Vali smiles again and says, "I love you, too, Mama."

Loki straightens up and looks at Sigyn. "Are you ready to go, love?"

Sigyn nods and they thank the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents for their time. They head out the door and it closes behind them. Clint jumps a little before realizing that Loki must have used his magic to close it.

The archer turns to the kids and asks, "So, what do you wanna do first?"


	2. Dinner

Natasha says, "Before we do anything fun, we should eat."

Narfi and Vali agree, announcing that they are starving. Hela, on the other hand, declares that she's not hungry at all, and would rather wait. She holds onto Clint's hand tightly, as if she's afraid that someone will make her eat.

"I'm not hungry," she says softly and looks down at the floor.

Vali goes over to Natasha and whispers, "When she does this, Mama always tells her that she can't have dessert unless she eats dinner."

Natasha looks at Hela and then back down at  Vali. She asks quietly, "Is there dessert for her to have if she does eat?"

Vali nods and Natasha straightens up. "Very well. If you don't eat your dinner, Hela, you won't be able to have any dessert."

Hela looks upset. Then she brightens up and says, "Narfi will give me his. He's done it before."

Narfi looks down, suddenly taking interest in the toe of his shoe. Clint smirks and Natasha says, "Well, I won't let him. To get dessert, you have to eat your dinner. All of it."

Hela's eyes widen and she breathes out, "All of it? Mama never makes me eat all of it."

Natasha says flatly, "Well, I'm not your mama, now am I?"

Hela sticks her bottom lip out in a pout.

 

* * *

 

 

About five minutes later, the kids are all seated at the table. Hela sits beside Narfi. Vali sits on the other side of his brother. Natasha notices that they all hold hands under the table and can't help but wonder what it would be like to have brothers like that.

She gets the food onto plates while Clint pours the milk. When she sets the plates down at the children's places, she doesn't miss the look of delight on their faces. She smiles and says, "Thought you might like that."

The food is in the form of a face. The green beans are the mouth, meat the nose, and the mashed potatoes make up the eyes. The irises are made of little pats of butter on each of the mounds of potatoes.

Clint comes with the milk. When he sets Hela's glass closer to the left of her plate, she looks up at him and smiles. "How'd you know?"

Clint says softly, "Because I know everything. That's how."

Hela smiles again.

Clint and Natasha take their places across from the children. Clint lifts his tater-laden fork to his mouth and the children all gasp. Vali says in astonishment, "You haven't prayed!"

Clint looks completely confused. "What?"

Narfi says, "Prayed. You haven't thanked the gods yet."

Clint lowers his fork. Hela says softly, "Now put your hands together."

The archer does so and Vali gives him the next step. "Close your eyes."

Once Clint does this, Narfi says, "And bow your head."

Natasha does the same as her partner and then Hela instructs them to thank whatever god they worship. After a moment they lift their heads up and Vali says, "Now you can eat."

Clint takes his bite and then all three of the children start eating, too. Natasha notices that Hela uses her left hand to eat and drink, Vali uses his right to eat and left to drink, and Narfi uses his right hand for both.

 

Dinner goes without a hitch and then it's time to do the dishes. The twins offer to help, but Clint says, "We've got it."

It turns out that they didn't have it. Clint drops one of the plates into the water, splashing Natasha. The entire front of her shirt is soaked. She turns to her partner and says threateningly, "You're going to pay for that, Barton."

She pulls out one of the towels and sort of rolls it up by holding two corners and flipping the rest of the fabric over the top edge. She makes it very tight and then smacks Clint's arm with it.   
"Ow! Not fair!"

Natasha dodges him as he tries to do the same. Hela comes in, using her crutches. Her little face morphs into fear and tears run down her cheeks.

"Don't fight! Please don't fight!"

Natasha looks over at her and drops the towel. She crouches down and says softly, "It's alright. We were only playing. Don't worry, Hela, we're not fighting."

Hela still looks scared, her eyes wide. Clint tucks his towel away and pulls her into a very smooshing hug.

"It's okay, kiddo. We aren't fighting. We're friends, and friends don't fight."

A snort comes from around the corner and Natasha looks over to see Vali and Narfi hiding. Narfi says, "I think you're more than friends."

Natasha turns a light shade of pink and Clint laughs lightly. "What do you know about being more than friends?"  
Vali says, smiling, "Well, friends don't kiss. Friends don't live in the same house and sleep together, either. Mama and Dada do all that."

Clint seems to consider this for a moment and says, "You're right. Friends don't do that. But since Nat and I don't do any of those things, I don't think we're more than friends."

Hela says softly, "I saw you hugging. Mama and Dada hug."

Clint laughs again. "I'm hugging you right now, silly!"

Hela giggles and Vali says, "Maybe they're not more than friends."

Narfi shrugs. Natasha smiles at them and says, "Even if we were, it wouldn't be any business of yours."

She turns and lifts a plate up to put it in the cabinet. It slips out of her still-wet fingers and crashes to the floor, shattering into loads of tiny little pieces.

Hela starts trembling in Clint's arms and he picks her up. The girl's crutches fall down in the broken ceramic as she wraps her arms around Clint's neck. Narfi looks very surprised. Vali looks down at his arm, his bottom lip trembling. Natasha hurries over to him and gently takes his arm in her hand.

"Oh, oh no. I'm sorry. Come on, I can get it out. It's okay, I'll take care of it. Don't worry..."

She leads him to the bathroom and Narfi stumbles after them. Clint places Hela in the living room and goes back to the kitchen. He sweeps up the mess and brings Hela her crutches. Then he finishes the dishes right as Natasha and the twins come out of the bathroom. Vali has a band-aid on his arm, but he still looks scared. He and his brother both do.

Clint asks, "You alright?"  
Vali nods and says quietly, "Yes. I'm okay. Natasha helped me."

Clint smiles. "She's good at that, isn't she?"

Vali nods again. Hela watches, worry in her eyes. She isn't sure that her brother is okay. Vali and Narfi go over to her and sit beside her. She lifts his arm and says softly, "Booboo?"

Vali nods and says, "I'm okay, though. It's alright now."

Hela kisses the band-aid and says quietly, "Now it will heal faster."

Vali nods. He gives Hela a hug and says, "Yep. It'll be better in no time."

Clint watches their interaction, smiling. He says softly to Natasha, "I wish I had had siblings like that."

Natasha nods in agreement.


	3. Teddy Bears and The Thing

After everyone is settled into the living room for a movie, the phone rings. Hela answers it, since she's the closest to the device.

"Hello?"

Clint can hear the muffled response. Then Hela says, "He's right here."

She holds the phone out to Clint, who takes it, smiling. He knows who it must be. Or at least, he thought he knew who it was.

_"Barton, where the heck are you?"_

Clint looks over at Natasha and mouths, 'Fury.' He then stands and moves into the next room, saying softly, "Director, I told you where Nat and I would be tonight. You said it was good and that the new agents could take our job for tonight."

Natasha pats Narfi's shoulder and stands, following her partner. She closes the door quietly behind her. Clint says, "Please Director, I made sure to clear it with you. Do you not remember any of that?"

_"Of course I remember, you idiot. I just called Loki's number. I wouldn't have called his number, asked to speak to you, and then asked where you were. I meant **where.** "_

Clint looks and sounds completely confused. "I don't understand, sir."

_"WHERE ARE YOU? I can't find his blasted house!"_

Clint looks over at Natasha. She looks a bit worried. She had heard Fury yelling. He wasn't very quiet when he was yelling. Not even over the phone. Clint winces a bit before handing the phone over to the redhead.

"Director, please stop yelling. Why do you need to know where Loki's house is, anyway?"

 _"I've got something to give you and Barton."_ Natasha opens her mouth to speak, but Fury cuts her off. He obviously knows her very well. _"Don't ask any questions. No, it can't wait. Yes, I have to give it to you now. Yes, tomorrow would be too late. Yes, even early tomorrow morning."_

Natasha looks somewhat defeated. She says softly, "You know we're taking care of his kids, sir. We can't take any missions right now."

Fury chuckles. _"Oh, it's not a mission, Agent Romanoff. It's something to help you with the mission you already have. I think you'll find it very helpful."_

Natasha looks very confused. "But sir, we don't have any missions right now."

Clint takes the phone back and asks, "Are you talking about that thing I asked you to bring so we could make that thing with the kids?"

_"Yes, Barton. It's that thing you asked me to bring."_

Clint looks suddenly very excited. "Okay, great. I'll send you the directions. Just give me a moment."

He pulls out his cell and starts to tap the screen, holding Loki's house phone on his shoulder by pinning it between his shoulder and head. After a few seconds he says triumphantly, "Yes! Found it. Sending...sending...sending.... Stupid phone, would you please. Just. Send. The. _MESSAGE!_ Finally. Okay, you should get it soon."

_"Yeah. I just got it. Thanks, Barton. I'll be there with the thing in a little while."_

Clint nods even though fury can't see him and says, "Thanks." He then ends the call and leaves the room, looking cheerful. He puts the phone back on the base and plops down in the couch. The kids all look a bit worried.

"He sounded scary." Clint looks over at Hela, who looks scared to death. He smiles at her and reassures her that the man on the phone may sound and look kinda scary, he was a big teddy bear underneath it all. Hela looks doubtful. She says softly, "He didn't sound like a teddy bear. Aren't teddy bears supposed to be nice?"

Clint raises an eyebrow. "You don't know? You don't know what teddy bears are like?"

Hela shakes her head. Her eyes are round. Clint notices for the first time that her right eye is completely white while the left is a silvery gray color. He asks quietly, "So you don't have a teddy bear?"

  
Hela shakes her head again and the archer sits back, shocked. He didn't have the best parents, but he at least had a teddy bear. Since Loki loves his kids so much, why doesn't Hela have a teddy bear? Clint is entirely surprised and a little bit upset. He can't believe that Loki hasn't bought his little girl a stuffed bear. They aren't even expensive. Plus Loki's a prince. Clint knows good and well that Loki has more than enough money to buy his baby girl a toy.

Hela looks a little upset. "What's the matter, Clint? Have I done something wrong?" Her eyes round out even further and she says, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do anything wrong. Please don't be angry."

Clint looks even more shocked. He says softly, "No, I'm not angry. Not at you, at least. I'm angry with your dad. Why don't you have a teddy bear?"

Hela looks down and says, "Bears are scary. Bears hurt people."

Clint gives her an incredulous look. He sounds as if he can't believe what he's saying. "Real bears might hurt people, but teddy bears do not. Do you want one?"

Hela thinks for a moment before shaking her head slowly. Her voice is very soft as she says, "I have my dolls."

Clint stares at her dumbly for a moment before asking, "Are your dolls soft enough to sleep with?"

Hela nods. She pulls herself to her feet with the help of her crutches and walks into her bedroom. She comes out a while later with three small dolls in her arms. She says quietly, "See? Sofia, Becky, and Dianne are all soft enough to sleep with."

She holds them out for Clint to feel and he gently squishes one of the dolls' hands. He says, "So they are."

The dolls are all stuffed. They look homemade, but very nice. Clint has a feeling that Sigyn made them for her little girl. He asks softly, "Are you sure you don't want a bear?"

Hela's eyes widen. "But if real bears hurt real people, won't _stuffed_ bears hurt _stuffed_ people?"

Clint tries not to laugh. He really does. But it doesn't work. It starts out as a chuckle. Then it turns to a full blown laugh. Hela looks more than a little hurt and pretty scared. She looks up at Natasha and asks, "Did I say something stupid?"

Natasha shakes her head and says, "Of course not. He's just a jerk."

Hela's eyes widen yet again. Natasha swears that if they got any bigger, they would take up the child's entire face. Hela says softly, "You're not supposed to say that."

Natasha looks apologetic. She can't believe that Loki's kids have been raised so carefully. Especially after the things he said to her when they were in the helicarrier. She doesn't say anything else, afraid that she will say something against the rules again.

Clint finally stops his laughter and says quietly, "No, Hela. The stuffed bear will not hurt your stuffed people. I promise."

Hela nods. She asks, "Where will we find one? Do we have to go out into the stuffed forest to catch one?"

Clint bites his lip to stop himself from bursting out again. He regains his composure much more quickly this time and answers, "No. We just have to go to a toy store. Or we can make one."

Hela nods, smiling a bit. It still looks strange, even though Clint and Natasha have both seen the smile several times.

They're getting settled down again when the doorbell rings. Clint jumps up and nearly runs to the door. He grins as he opens up the thick, dark wooden door.

"Director, come in!"

Fury walks in, carrying a plastic bag. It looks odd for him to be carrying such an everyday thing. Especially since he's still wearing his black pants, black shirt, black boots, black eye patch, black shirt, and black trench coat. Who seriously wears all that black? Only Fury. And maybe Loki. Anyway, Clint finds it ridiculous.

Fury hands Clint the bag and waves at the kids.

"Hello children."

Hela ducks under her blanket, but Vali and Narfi shout in unison, "It's a pirate!"

Fury looks furious. Completely furious. He says flatly, "That's hilarious, boys. Really hilarious."

Narfi slides off of the couch and runs over to Fury. Vali shortly follows. Hela peeks over the edge of her blanket, too scared to go over to the tall, mean looking man.

"Did you take your eye out for wisdom?" Narfi asks excitedly.

"Yeah, did you throw it into Mimer's Well?" Vali's question follows up his twin's.

Fury looks confused now. "Whose well?"

The twins look shocked. Clint explains that they didn't grow up with the same stories that are told in Asgard. He then tells the twins that maybe some other time they could tell Mr. Fury all the different stories that they liked best, but that right now they needed to watch their movies before it got too late. The boys go back to their seats dejectedly. Fury feels a little bad and says, "I lost my eye another way. And once you tell me who this Mimer guy is, I'll tell you how. But like Barton said, you guys have a Disney movie to watch."

With that, he turns around and walks out the door, calling, "Bye guys. Have fun!"

Clint stashes the bag somewhere in the kitchen and runs back to the living room. He sits back in his place. Natasha turns out the light and crawls onto the couch beside Hela. The little girl climbs into the assassin's lap and snuggles up against her.

Clint presses the 'play' button and the movie starts.


	4. Movies and Bedtime

"I'm gonna touch the butt!" Vali calls as he tears after Narfi.

Clint puts his head in his hands and mutters, "Of course, that would be the one thing that they incessantly quote, wouldn't it?"

Natasha smirks as she takes out the DVD and puts in another. "Okay, you two. Sit down. Why is it that Hela's the only one who can sit still?"

The twins run and jump back to their seats. Vali leans over and whispers something to his brother and Narfi explodes into laughter. Narfi says loudly, "Aww, you made me ink!"

Vali shakes his head, grinning. "Nuh uh. That wasn't an ink. That was a fart!"

Clint laughs, but Natasha says, "Okay, guys. Stop. Look, the movie's starting." 

And starting it was. Vali and Narfi start dancing in their seats to the music in the beginning of _Monster's Inc._ Natasha smiles at the two and lets them dance. At least they're being quiet.

Hela's eyes are wide as she watches the first scene of the movie. Natasha pulls her into her lap again, saying softly, "It's alright. You don't have to be afraid."

The twins explode into laughter as the round, green monster sprays himself in the eye with disinfectant and screams in pain. Hela cracks a smile when Boo draws the picture of the huge blue and purple monster. Narfi and Vali look startled when Sulley roars in the simulation. Hela turns and hides her face in Natasha's chest, scared now. When the woman pounds Randal's head with the shovel, Narfi squeaks. It's an odd sound for him and it sets both he and his brother into fits of giggles. By the end of the movie, Hela has fallen asleep in Natasha's arms. Even her brothers look tired.

Clint stands and removes the movie from the DVD player and puts it back in the case. He looks up at the clock over the television and says in surprise, "It's almost nine! Loki's gonna have our skins if he finds out that we didn't put them to bed in time."

Natasha says matter-of-factly, "We'll just have to keep it a secret, then. What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

Clint smiles at her. He then says, "That's not setting a good example, Tasha."

The redhead only shrugs, looking like she couldn't care less. Hela shifts in her arms a little and Natasha looks up at Clint. "We need to get them to bed," she says softly.

Clint nods. He points out, "But they still need their baths."

Natasha bites her lip before saying, "I'll go ahead and give Hela a quick one. Then the boys can have theirs."

Clint nods and watches as his partner walks out of the room, carrying Hela. Once he hears the bathroom door close, he looks at Vali and Narfi. "Okay, guys. Help me get everything cleaned up real quick, okay?"

The boys nod sleepily and start to help Clint get the living room tidy again. They put the pillows back in place, turn the television back to its proper volume and channel, and fold all the blankets. When Natasha comes out with Hela, now awake, everything is back in order. She says, "Good job, guys. Now you boys have your baths."

Vali and Narfi nod and say simultaneously, "Yes ma'am."

They trudge up the stairs to their bedroom. They grab their sleep clothes and plod to their shared bathroom. Loki has made the bathroom perfect for his sons. There are two bathrooms pushed into one. There must be some sort of magic, though, because neither of the bathrooms is cramped in the slightest. Each bathroom has a bathtub with a shower head, a sink, and, of course, a toilet. Each bathroom is tailored to one of the boy's tastes. Vali's has deep greens and Narfi's, pale blues. The two bathrooms are separated by a wall with a door in the middle.

The boys bathe quickly and go back down to the living room, their dark hair still wet. Natasha can't help but notice that they look remarkably like their father. She asks if they are ready, and is answered by two slow, sleepy nods. The boys' eyelids seem heavy. Hela looks very tired, but she's trying to keep herself up.

Clint asks, "Do you guys want me to piggy back you up to your room?"

The boys look confused. "Piggy back?"

Clint stares at them, dumbfounded. These kids really have no childhood. He asks lamely, "Do you want me to or not?"

Vali and Narfi exchange a glance and then say together, "Sure."

Clint nods and says, "Alright, then. Come over here."

He crouches down in what looks like an odd position. Narfi gives Natasha a baffled look. She waves him on, but he doesn't move. Clint stands and turns around, looking a little miffed.

"Okay, now that I've looked like an idiot, it's time for you to get on. Now. Like right now. Stop staring at me that way and just get on my back."

"Clint, they don't know what to do. They obviously haven't ever heard of a piggy back ride."

All three children shake their heads. Clint sighs and explains how a piggy back ride works. Narfi's face lights up with every word. Vali still looks a little doubtful. Hela thinks it sounds fun.

"Can I try?" Her small voice is easily heard since the room is quiet. She sounds a little embarrassed, though. Like she's afraid that he won't want to give her a piggy back ride. She says quietly, "Never mind."

Clint asks gently, "You don't want to anymore?"

Hela looks at him for a moment before asking, "You don't mind?"

Clint smiles. "Of course not. Nat, can you put her on?"

Natasha nods, smiling. She places Hela on Clint's back and he puts his arms around the girl's legs. He then starts walking up the steps, Natasha following with her hand on Hela to keep her up. Hela grins the whole way up. Her brothers watch, wondering if it's really that fun.

When Clint comes back down, Narfi volunteers to go next.  He jumps up onto the archer's back without any problems. Natasha walks along behind him, as well. Not to hold him up, but just to make sure that he doesn't tip too far backward. She has faith in the little boy's strength, but knows that Loki will have one of his throwing knives aimed at her throat if she lets anything happen to his kids.

Clint sets Narfi on the floor in his room and watches as he scrambles up onto the top bunk of the black bed that the twins share. He then goes back down the stairs to the living room, where Vali waits for him. The second boy eyes Clint warily. He asks, "Are you sure this is safe?"

Clint nearly laughs, but he realizes quickly that Vali is seriously worried about the safety of the piggy back ride. He answers gently, "Yes. I'm certain. This is perfectly safe. Neither Hela nor Narfi got hurt. What makes you think it'll be more dangerous for you?"

Vali shrugs. Clint smiles and turns, saying, "Then get on. I promise you'll be fine."

Vali hops up onto his back. His thin arms are wrapped tightly around Clint's neck like a snake might curl around its prey. Clint finds it hard to believe how thin and frail Loki's son feels. He's worried that the boy might not eat enough. He recalls that Vali hadn't eaten very much at dinner. This makes him worry even more. He makes a mental note to ask Loki about it when he gets back.

Clint makes his way up the stairs for the third time. He and Natasha stand in the boys' room awkwardly. Narfi speaks up, "You gonna tuck us in or are you just gonna stand there?"

The two agents glance at each other before moving over to the bed. Clint climbs up the ladder to the bunk bed and takes care of Narfi while Natasha handles Vali. When they're done, they walk out of the room. They just hear Vali and Narfi's quiet call of, "Goodnight."

Clint pulls the door shut, listening for the click of the doorknob. He then turns to Natasha and bursts into tears. The redhead is surprised, but pulls her partner into her arms. She gently leads him down to the living room and rubs his back as he cries into her.


	5. Babies have Bad Timing

Around half an hour later, Clint is out cold on the couch. Natasha is flipping through the TV channels, trying to find something safe just in case the kids come out. She settles on a show on the sea. Marine life has always interested her, but she rarely gets to learn about it. If she's not at work, she's with the Avengers, which is technically work.

While they don't have to fight villains every day, they do have to take care of other things. Tony, Pepper and Natasha all work with the money, setting aside the amount they'll need for each month and putting the rest in the bank. They generally keep out around three thousand dollars. This seems like a lot, but with seven people eating, it takes a lot of money. Two of these seven people have extremely large appetites. And then you have to take into account when Loki comes to visit with his family, which is about twice a month. This makes three people with huge appetites, because while Loki is thin, he has the appetite of a Jotun, which is even larger than that of a god. Added to the cost of food are the expenses of going out places. There's no place like home, that is true, but even the homiest people can get restless. Then you have to go out and do things. Things like camping, museums, and amusement parks. And admission to places like these aren't exactly cheap.

Natasha snorts when she thinks that in Avengers Tower, Tony is probably yelling at Thor to stop snoring. That makes her wonder why Loki hadn't chosen his brother to babysit. Then she realizes that while he and his brother have made everything okay between them, the god of thunder is huge and somewhat intimidating. And there's also the fact that Loki's children seem to like the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents more than their uncle.

The redhead looks over at Clint and smiles sadly. He had cried himself to sleep. She was used to having him do this. Sometimes he would just burst for no reason. But most times he had a good reason. He always told her his reasons, and she would try to help him through the night. This time he was thinking of how he wished that he had had a better childhood, maybe one more like Loki's children. One filled with love and kindness, kisses and hugs. His was full of pain and hurt, insults thrown out by a cruel father. Not nearly like Vali, Narfi, and Hela's.

Natasha wonders how the liesmith's other children were raised. She knows that Jormungand was thrown off of the Bifrost, and now lives in the ocean. She wonders if Loki ever visits him. She's a bit upset that she couldn't see the giant serpent when they went to the beach. She knows that Fenrir was chained up because he got too big and fearsome. She thinks that this qualifies as animal _and_ child abuse, but supposes that they don't have such things in Asgard. If they did, Loki would surely have used them to free his son. She met Sleipnir. He was a sweet thing, his nose a soft pink and his eyes large and kind.

Clint's partner nearly jumps out of her skin when the phone rings. She reaches over and picks up the phone. She answers it with a shaky voice, "Hello?"

 _"Miss Romanoff? How are the kids?"_ Loki's voice sounds worried and somewhat breathless. This makes Natasha wonder what's wrong.

"They've been little angels. Is everything alright, Loki?" Her tone is one of concern. She's worried that something bad has happened.

_"Yes. Well...yes. We're fine. But Sigyn went into labor. We're at the hospital now. We won't be back by eleven like we had planned. I'm so sorry."_

Natasha is puzzled as to why he would apologize. "It's not a problem. She's okay, right? She's not having any problems, is she?"

Loki hesitates for a moment before saying slowly, _"I won't say that. She is having a bit of trouble. But she should be alright. Thank you for asking."_

Natasha is even more worried now. She says softly, "I'm your friend, Loki. I'm worried for the both of you. Focus on Sigyn at the moment. Don't worry about us. Take all the time you need. Clint and I are perfectly fine here."

_"Thank you so much. I can't tell you how thankful I am."_

"Don't worry about us. Like I said, just keep your attention on Sigyn. We're all fine and dandy here."

Loki chuckles softly and says, _"Thank you. I'd better be going, then. I do trust you both. Just don't let Barton shoot anyone."_

Natasha laughs quietly. They hang up a moment later and she shakes Clint. He splutters awake and brandishes the knife he keeps on his belt. He realizes that it's only Natasha and smiles sleepily.

"Tasha, you scared me. Is everything alright?"

Natasha searches for the right words. She finally says simply, "Sigyn's having a baby."

Clint snorts. "Really. Like I couldn't tell. Nat, she looks like she swallowed a beach ball. I may not be a woman, but I'm not _that_ ignorant."

Natasha shakes her head, looking a bit annoyed. "No, Clint. She's having the baby. Like, right now. She's in the hospital. I just wanted to tell you that we'd be here longer than originally planned. I don't know how late we'll have to stay."

Clint looks down and says softly, "Oh." He looks back up at her and says brightly, "Well, it's a good thing we're having so much fun then, huh?"

Natasha smiles. "Yeah."

 

* * *

 

Loki walks into the room where Sigyn lies in the hospital bed. Her face is already shiny with sweat. The doctors and nurses step aside and let him stand beside her. He takes her hand and says softly, "It's alright, love. You're gonna be alright. I promise. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Sigyn nods, her eyes closed. She's sweating even more now. She clutches his hand as if it's the only thing keeping her alive. Her muscles contract and she lets out a heart wrenching scream. Loki looks at the doctors, worry shining in his emerald irises. He doesn't find any comfort in the doctors, though. They all look incredibly grim and completely hopeless. He turns back to Sigyn and feels his heart drop. He can't lose her. He doesn't know what he'd do if he were to lose one of the things that kept him from going completely mad.

He leans forward and presses a kiss on his wife's head, disregarding the sweat on her forehead. He strokes back her hair lovingly, his hand gentle. Sigyn opens her eyes and says quietly, "I love you, Loki. Remember that. No matter what, remember that."

Loki's eyes widen. He doesn't like the finality in her voice. He squeezes her hand and says softly, "I love you, too. But this isn't the last time you'll say that. You're going to be alright. We're going to have a lovely little baby after this. One who we will raise and love. This baby will have a mother, Sigyn, and you are going to be that mother. You can't leave me. I won't let you. I will do everything in my power to keep you here."

One of the doctors, a young woman, steps forward and says softly, "I haven't given up yet. I'm going to do all I can to help your wife, Mr. Laufeyson. I promise."

Loki flashes her a grateful smile. "Thanks."

The doctor nods and gets to work while the others stand by and watch, doubtful expressions on their faces.

 

* * *

  
 

An hour later, Hela patters out of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes. She finds Clint and Natasha curled up together on the couch, their eyes glued to the television. Clint catches sight of the girl and leaps away from Natasha. The latter looks confused at first. Then she sees Hela and blushes fiercely. The young girl looks a bit confused at their actions. They had only been sitting together, right? They hadn't been doing anything strange. Or was it strange for two grownups to sit together like that? She cocks her head in curiosity.

Clint clears his throat and asks, "Do you need something, kiddo?"

Hela looks between the two and says quietly, "I had a bad dream."

Natasha's face saddens a bit and she holds out her arms. She says kindly, "Come on, then. Let me hold you."

Hela pads over to the woman in her strange little wobbly walk. Natasha's heart goes out to the little girl as she limps toward her. When she finally makes it to Natasha's arms, Hela collapses into her. She curls her legs up and pops her thumb into her mouth. Clint looks at her for a moment before his eyes go up to his partner's. They share the same expression. Doubt. While they know how to help one another with nightmares, they can hardly use that tactic on a four year old girl.

When Natasha looks down at the girl in her lap, she realizes that she's glad that she has no children, and likely never will. She has no idea what to do with one. Should she just hold the girl until she feels better or should she do something else? She wishes she could talk to someone about it, but doesn't know who she'd call. Not Loki. He's a bit busy. Everyone else she knows would either be asleep or unknowledgeable on this subject. She doesn't know what to do. It's been a long time since the Black Widow has felt such doubt.

"It was about Mommy." Hela's voice trembles in fear. Both S.H.I.E.L.D. agents turn their eyes to the small girl. "She was hurt, and crying. She kept screaming. I'm scared."

Natasha holds her closer and strokes her hair gently. She murmurs, "It's alright. It was just a dream."

She doesn't entirely believe her own words. The Asgardians were different, that much was obvious. If magic existed in the other realms, who was to say that foresight didn't? Maybe Hela had just dreamed about what was to happen to her mother?

"She was dying."

The words sound simple, but coming from a four year old, they're a bit frightening. Natasha's eyes widen slightly and she catches Clint's gaze. Clint slowly reverts his attention to Hela.

"How do you know she was dying? She could have just been hurt, you know. And it was only a dream."

Hela nods. She falls back to sleep in Natasha's arms, sucking on her thumb. The red haired woman looks scared for the little girl. She knows what it feels like to have dreams of losing loved ones. Her eyes travel over to Clint and she smiles faintly. It's only a ghost of a smile, not holding any emotion. It's empty. Clint's used to these smiles, though. He knows the pain that hides behind Natasha's poker face. He's seen it often enough to know what his partner and friend is really feeling.

Natasha closes her eyes and wraps herself around the young girl, wishing for all her hurt to go away. She feels a familiar warmth on her shoulder and learns into Clint's warm embrace. She whispers, "I don't want her to be hurt, Clint. Not like we are."

Clint shakes his head and answers, "She won't. If I know Loki, and I do, he will stop at nothing to help his wife. I've been paying real close attention to him lately, and I have to say, he really loves her. He follows her around everywhere like a lost puppy. It was kind of amusing at first, but I think he's really attached to her. Maybe even in ways outside of love and marriage. He cares for her deeply and won't let her stay hurting like this. I'm sure of it."

Natasha says softly, "That was really poetic of you, Clint. For someone with the emotional range of a teaspoon."

Clint only chuckles, knowing that she didn't really mean her words. She knows that he feels emotion just as much as she does. That's why they can help each other so easily. They have the same emotions, which enables them to know what the other is feeling. On bad nights when the dreams are rough, they talk about it until the pain passes. It never stays gone forever, but when it comes back, they know that they'll be there for the other. Clint for his spider and Natasha for her hawk.


	6. The Thing is Revealed, and the New Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a tiny bit... darker (?) than the others. It deals with the troubles of childbirth, which is all I can say without giving anything away.   
> It all ends well though!

They wake up not much later, maybe an hour or so. It's not a happy awakening, though. There's quite the racket coming from the kitchen and Hela has disappeared. Natasha jumps up and hops from the couch. She almost doesn't want to know what's going on. But she is also taking care of these little ones, and needs to see what they're up to.

She walks into the kitchen and is surprised by what she sees. Hela and her brothers are milling around in the room. Narfi is pouring two glasses of milk, Vali is scrambling some eggs, and Hela seems to be waiting for toast to pop out of the toaster. Natasha notices that the kitchen smells wonderful.

"Hey, guys. What are you up to?"

Three heads turn to her and three pairs of startled eyes stare into her own. She smiles and says, "It's fine. You're not in trouble or anything."

All three children relax. Vali says quietly, "It was supposed to be a surprise."

Narfi and Hela nod. Natasha grins. She moves in further and says, "We can still make it a surprise for Clint. He hasn't gotten his lazy butt up yet."

Hela shakes her head. She looks down at the floor and says softly, "He's already up. He went outside to do something."

Natasha raises an eyebrow. She thinks for a moment before realizing that she doesn't remember seeing Clint when she first woke up. She can't imagine what the archer might be doing. She recalls his conversation with Director Fury. A wave of apprehension floods over her and she turns. She walks out the back door, worried about what she'll find.

When she opens the door, she's greeted with the sight of a halfway inflated giant bouncy castle. She puts her hands on her hips, shaking her head with a smile on her lips. She walks around the huge mass of rubbery plastic and finds Clint panting, trying to fill the heap with air. This must have been the 'thing' he had been talking about.

"Clint, will you ever grow up?"

The archer looks up at his partner. A grin breaks across his face and he shakes his head, saying simply, "Nope."  
Natasha smirks and moves closer to him. She says, "At least let me help you. You look like you're about to fall over."

Clint mimics her, making his voice high pitched. It sounds nothing like hers. "' _You look like you're about to fall over._ ' No I don't. I'm fine. Keep an eye on the kids, Tasha, and let me handle the man work."

Natasha rolls her eyes and pushes him out of the way. He falls over onto the ground and stares up at her in annoyance. She starts to pump more air into the inflatable toy, and before long it's almost finished. Clint looks even more annoyed. Especially when he sees that she doesn't even look tired. He stands finally and moves her out of the way. She rolls her eyes yet again and makes her way back into the house as Clint's rapid breathing starts up again.

When she reaches the kitchen again, she finds that everything is clean and put away. She wonders if Vali has used his magic to make things go faster. She finds the kids in the dining room, putting the plates and glasses on the table. She smiles and says, "Clint is getting something ready for you. He should be done before too much longer."

Again the three children turn their heads toward her. This time they look excited. The twin ask in unison, "What kind of surprise?"

Natasha chuckles and answers, "If I told you it wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it?"

The twins think for a moment before shaking their heads simultaneously. Hela says, "I'll pretend to be surprised."

Natasha shakes her head. Do they know that they were just nearly quoting a Midgardian movie? Obviously not, because they look very serious. She opens her mouth to say something, but then thinks better of whatever she was about to say and closes it again.

Narfi cocks his head in curiosity. He can tell that she was about to speak. By the look on Vali's face, he could, too. Hela seems clueless, though. She still has a soft smile on her childlike face.

Natasha looks at the food on the table and asks, "Is this for us? Clint and myself?"  
All three kids nod, grinning now. Vali says, "Yep! I hope you like it."

They look a little nervous. Hela keeps looking at the ground and back up at Natasha. Narfi looks hopeful, as if he's not sure that Natasha will happy. Vali tugs on the bottom of his sleepshirt. He looks the most nervous.

 

Natasha slides into the chair and bows her head like the children taught her before. She can hear their lips coming apart in a smile, that sound that's almost like a little crack. She lifts her head to see that sure enough, all three of them are smiling at her. She returns the look. She then turns her eyes down to her plate. The kids watch as she takes a bite of the eggs. She chews and swallows the bite before smiling at them again.  They positively beam back at her.

Clint bursts into the room, his eyes sparkling. "It's done, it's done! Come out and see!"

Narfi crouches down and Hela climbs up onto his shoulders. Then Vali and Narfi run out of the house through the backdoor. Clint and Natasha can hear their excited shouts and laughter from inside. Clint pulls Natasha out of her seat and drags her into the backyard.

Vali turns to them and asks, "Can we go in?"

Clint grins and says, "Duh! Go in there! Make sure Hela doesn't get hurt, though."

Narfi gently slides Hela down off of his shoulders, but keeps his hand curled around his sister's. The three of them slip off their shoes and go into the bouncy castle. Clint bends over and scoops Natasha up, bridal style. She holds onto him tightly, blushing a bit. He gets her to take off her shoes before doing the same with his own sneakers. He then goes into the castle and starts to bounce, much to the enjoyment of the kids.

 

* * *

  
 

Loki looks up at the doctor. She's the only conscious person in the room other than himself. The other doctors and nurses left hours ago after coming to the premature decision that Sigyn was going to die. This particular doctor hasn't given up yet, though, and doesn't look like she's going to.

The doctor is looking down at the child in her arms. The child that hasn't made a sound. The child that will never make a sound. The child that will never run, never play, never laugh, never read, never have friends. The child that was born without breath. The child that was stillborn.

The woman's sad eyes slide up to Loki's and she whispers, "I'm so sorry."

Loki stands from his seat and goes over to her. She looks at the baby and his face fills with shock, pain, fear and several other emotions that the doctor can't place names to. He hesitantly reaches out a pale hand and brushes the baby's cheek with the backs of his thin fingers.

"I really am sorry. I did all I could, it just...wasn't enough."

Loki nods. He sounds empty, like a hollow well. "Thank you, Doctor... I appreciate your kindness and help."

She nods slowly. Loki asks softly, "Can I hold her?"

The doctor gently slides the baby into Loki's arms. He looks down at the baby's still face. That's when the dam breaks and tears flood down his drawn cheeks. He murmurs in between sobs, "I'm sorry, my darling. I'm sorry you didn't get to see your mother."

His head whips around when he feels a small warmth on his shoulder. Frigga stands behind him, tears streaking down her own face. She looks like she's been crying much longer than Loki himself. She says gently, "Let me hold her, my son."

Loki carefully transfers the baby to Frigga's arms. The woman leans over and presses a tender kiss on the infant's forehead. The newborn sucks in her first breath and immediately expels it in a scream. Loki looks amazed as the newest addition to his family continues to bawl in Frigga's arms. He stumbles over the words he's trying to say and his adoptive mother stops him.

"There is nothing to say, my child. You are welcome," she says with a gentle smile. She hands Loki his baby and disappears in a glimmer of gold.

The doctor breathes out, "Wow." She looks over at Loki, who is smiling down at his squalling baby.

He lifts his eyes up to her and smiles. His voice is soft when he says, "Mothers, right?"

He hands the baby over and says, "I suppose you have to take care of her now. I don't know what to do."

The doctor nods, smiling slightly. She takes the baby and walks out of the room, leaving Loki alone with his unconscious wife. He sits beside the bed in a small, hard, uncomfortable chair and scoots it closer. He reaches out a hand and touches her forehead. He whispers, "She's perfect. She's perfect in every way."

Loki can't be certain, but he thinks that he sees a tiny smile cross Sigyn's pink lips.


	7. The Word is Spread

The kids and their babysitter stay in the bouncy castle for quite a long time. Hela gets tired first and she tugs on Narfi's arm. Her older brother turns his kind, playful, bright green eyes down to her and smiles. He asks, "What is it?"

Hela says softly, "My leg is tired..."

Narfi looks up at Clint and Natasha. The archer looks a little sad. He wishes that the child could have more fun. It isn't fair that she can't play like her brothers. That she has to take such frequent breaks because her body is too weak. He wonders if there would be any way for Loki to fix her up. To give her a normal childhood. He shakes his head, telling himself that if Loki could do something about it, that he would have done it long ago.

"Let's go inside, guys," Natasha says gently. She goes out of the opening and holds out her hands to receive Hela. Narfi walks his sister over to the redhead and transfers Hela to the woman, who holds her on her hip.

Narfi and Vali go out after them, leaving Clint the last one in the bouncy house. He jumps a final time before heading out after the others. Natasha shakes her head, a small smile playing on her full lips.

As soon as they get inside, the phone rings. Vali picks it up. "Hello?"

_"I hope you don't mind having a little sister."_

Vali's face lights up and he runs back to the others. "Narfi! Hela! The baby's here! It's a little girl!"

Hela breaks into a lopsided grin and Narfi's face splits open in the biggest grin either adult has ever seen. Clint exclaims, "That's wonderful!"

Natasha smiles, very happy. They can easily hear Loki's clear laughter ringing through the phone. Vali presses the speaker phone button so that they can all hear Loki. Natasha says, "Congratulations, Loki. Is Sigyn okay?"

_"Yes, she's perfectly fine. She just woke up about half an hour ago. The baby's nursing now."_

Clint turns a light shade of pink. He's the only one who seems to be affected by Loki's words, though. He looks around at the others' excited expressions and wonders how they can be so unfazed by this.

Natasha caught the look on Clint's face and can't keep back a smile. Not even the kids are as affected as he is. They are either perfectly comfortable with the subject of breast feeding or they don't know what it means.

Natasha says, "That's great, Loki! When will she be clear to come home? I know how aggravating it can be stuck in a hospital room."

Loki laughs and answers, _"The doctors didn't even think she'd make it. Only one nurse stayed to help. The others all gave up around twenty minutes into the labor. Now that she has lived past her expectancy, the doctors say that as long as nothing goes wrong, we'll be back in two or three days. If you two need to go, that's fine. I can get the kids and bring them here if need be."_

Clint shakes his head, forgetting that Loki can't see him.

 _"Is everything okay?"_  Loki sounds worried by the lack of response.

Clint realizes his mistake and says hurriedly, "No, I mean yes. No you don't have to come, nothing's wrong, we're fine. Nat?" The last word came out a bit like a whine as he turned his head toward Natasha.

"We're good here, Loki. Don't worry. The last thing Sigyn needs is three excited kids trying to see the baby all at once."

Loki chuckles tiredly. Natasha can almost see him running his fingers through his hair. She knows exactly how he would rub his eyes, which would doubtless have dark circles underneath them. She can tell how tired he is by the sound of his voice. _"_

_You're right. I hated how Thor was always trying to nose his way into the stalls to see Sleipnir and myself... Are you sure you don't mind looking after them for a while longer?"_

Natasha is about to speak when Hela interrupts her. "Is Mama okay?" Her small voice trembled as she spoke, showing just how scared for her mother she is.

_"Yes, baby. Your Mama's okay. She just has to heal up and she'll be home soon. Have you three been good?"_

"Yes, Dada. Promise Mama's okay?"

Loki sighs and says warily, _"Yes. I promise that she's okay. Do you want to talk to her?"_

Hela seems to brighten up. She answers, "Ooh, yes!"

Loki laughs softly. There is silence for a moment. Then Sigyn's incredibly tired and worn out voice comes out of the speaker. _"Hey, baby. How are you, sweetie?"_

"I'm okay, Mama. Do I really have a little sister now?"

_"Yes. Are you happy?"_

"Uh-huh. Is she cute?"

_"Yes, dear. She's very cute. You'll be able to see her in a few days. Do you remember that picture I showed you? The one from when you were a baby?"_

"Yes, Mama. I remember it."

_"Your new sister is bigger than you were. She has lighter hair, though, and tiny little hands."_

"What color are her eyes?" Hela sounds happy now, as if she's finally convinced that her mother is okay.

_"I don't know yet, baby. She hasn't opened them up yet. Maybe you'll be the first to see them. Are all of her toys still in the nursery?"_

"Of course they are! We don't play with toys like that anymore, Mama!"

_"I know. You three have grown up so fast. Are your brothers there?"_

The boys scoot up closer to the phone and they say in unison, "Yep! We're right here, Mama!"

_"You two aren't causing any trouble, are you?"_

The twins exchange a glance before Vali answers, "No, Mama. We're being good."

Sigyn chuckles and says, _"I should hope so."_  She sounds even more tired than before. They can hear a heavy sigh and Loki saying something in a worried tone. They can't make out any words, but they can tell that he is deeply concerned for his wife.

 _"Why don't you let your mother rest now. You three have fun, okay? Keep being good,"_  Loki says.

The kids all look disappointed, but don't argue. Narfi says, "Okay, Dada. We'll be good. Come home soon."

 _"We'll be there as soon as we can, my child."_ A faint cry of a baby is heard and Loki adds quickly, _"I've got to go now, dear ones. Your mama needs me. I love you all very much."_

 

* * *

  
 

Loki hangs up and slides his phone back into his pocket. He gently takes the new baby from Sigyn's arms and cradles her close. He looks down at the tiny face, the screwed up eyes and the wrinkled little nose. He can't stop the tender smile that crawls across his lips as he looks down at this child. The gift from the gods. This wonderful little blessing given to him by two of the people he loves most. His beautiful wife and his mother.

His eyes flick up as the door opens and the nurse from before - Carol - comes back in. She smiles when she sees him holding the crying infant. She asks softly, "Are you all good here, or do you need anything?"

Loki looks over at Sigyn. He shakes his head and says, "No, I think we're fine. Thank you, my lady."

Carol looks surprised. "There's no need to 'lady' me." Her face softens and she says, "I'm glad they're both okay. If you need anything, I'll be nearby. Just poke your head out and call."

Loki nods and watches as she leaves. He turns and looks back at his wife as she says softly, "Happy anniversary, darling."


	8. Shopping Part 1

"I'm bored," Narfi said as he put the phone back on the base. Truthfully, all the kids look bored.

Clint realizes that he's out of stuff to do and his eyes go round. He hadn't planned on being here for four days. What in the world is he supposed to do with three bored children? He's already done the movies and the bouncy castle. He could do a sleepover, but that has to be at night. Scary stories? Too scary for a fourish five year old. He thinks about reading to them, but quickly banishes that thought. He's not good at reading aloud. So what should he do?

"Clint? You okay?" Natasha's voice shakes Clint from his thoughts. She sounds concerned.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." He turns to the kids and asks, "What do you guys think about going shopping?"

Vali and Narfi exchange a glance. They both turn their heads to Clint again, expressions of disbelief on their childish faces. "Shopping is for girls."

Clint folds his arms over his chest. "Guys shop too!"

Narfi snorts and says, "The weird ones."

Vali nods and Clint closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath before looking at the twins again. "You don't have to be a girl or a weird guy to like shopping. Tony goes shopping all the time."

Vali nods. "Uh-huh, yeah. And he's pretty weird in case you hadn't noticed."

Clint can't help but be reminded of a little girl in a movie he saw. The way Vali said that was perfect. The words he said were perfect. He can't for the life of him remember the name of the little girl, though. She had brown hair pulled up in a ponytail, glasses, a skirt.....

" _Margo!"_ He shouts, suddenly remembering the girl's name. All three kids jump. Clint doesn't see it, but Natasha jumps, too.

"Who's Margo?" Hela asks softly. She looks around the room, trying to find another girl. She can't see anyone else, though. "Is Ms. Natasha's middle name Margo?"

Clint shakes his head. "No, no, no. Margo is a character from a movie. A really good movie, I might add. You haven't ever watched Despicable Me?"

All three children shake their heads and Clint is reminded of the extremely lame childhood they have. He turns to look at Natasha. She only shrugs.

Clint moves from foot to foot, staring up at the ceiling and wailing, "Why, oh, why? Why have you brought this curse down upon me! Why must I be the only being to know of this wonderful thing?"

Natasha's eyebrows climb steadily higher on her forehead until they disappear in her hair. Okay, not really, but if she were anime, they would be way up there. She looks confused almost.

Hela hugs Natasha's leg and looks up at the woman, her chin resting on Natasha's leg. She asks in a soft whisper, "Is he okay?"

Natasha picks Hela up and settles the child on her hip. "I don't know."

Vali and Narfi keep looking at each other and turning back to stare at Clint. They seem to be a bit bewildered by their babysitter's behavior.

Clint looks at the group before him and raises a hand, his index finger pointing at up. "I, " He starts. "am going to introduce you to the wonder that is Despicable Me! But not until after we go shopping."

He then ducks his head and makes a quick exit. They hear his faint call of, "After I use the bathroom." from the hall.

 

* * *

 

Five  minutes later, Clint is in the back of his car, muttering to himself and trying to get Hela's car seat installed. He's naturally having plenty of trouble with the task. Natasha peers over the front seat.

"Having trouble?"

Clint sits up, hitting his head on the top of the car. He falls back down onto the seat, clutching his injured noggin. "Yes! Yes I'm having trouble! _Everyone_ has trouble with these! Gah!"

Natasha slides in behind him, reaches over his now still body and clips the car seat into place. She gently pats his noodle and says in a comforting tone, "It's alright. All done."

Clint looks up and whines, "How did you do that?"

Natasha smirks. "Some things just take a woman's touch."

 

* * *

 

It takes almost ten minutes for them to set everything up and get it all right. They had to adjust the seat belt to be safer for Hela. The boys had forgotten to put on shoes, and Natasha had left behind her cell phone. Now they're finally on the way to the mall. Clint wonders how it is that he is the only one who didn't cause any trouble or forget anything. Usually he is the one that both of these things happen to. There's a first time for everything, though, right?

Right. Clint learns soon enough that there is a first time for everything. A first time for hitting every red light, a first time for having to turn the radio off because there's nothing to listen to, a first time for nearly getting hit by the same car _twice,_ and a first time for wanting to strangle three little children in your backseat. Three little children who will _not just stop singing that ridiculous song already_.

"The itsy bitsy spider-"

"Shut up!"

Hela shrinks back in her seat, her eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears. The wetness spills over her cheeks a few seconds later and she hides her face in her hands. Narfi tries to comfort her, speaking softly. Vali sends Clint an angry glare. If looks could kill, Clint would be dead.

Natasha mutters, "Jerk."

Clint's eyes round out when he realizes what he's done. He didn't even mean to say that. He didn't mean to be so mean. He pulls over in a restaurant parking lot and unbuckles quickly. He gets out of the car and moves to the back door. He opens it and says softly, "Please let me get to your sister."

Vali unbuckles and slides out of the car, giving Clint access to Hela. The archer moves over the seat and gently touches Hela's arm.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean that."

Hela turns her head away from him, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. Narfi glares daggers at Clint. He's obviously very angry with his babysitter. Vali crosses his arms as he watches the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent try to make amends.

"Please look at me. I really am sorry."

Hela turns her head ever so slightly. Clint can see her huge, round eyes staring at him. All the trust is gone from the silvery gray of her left eye. It breaks Clint's heart to see that gone. He says softly, "Please. Please forgive me, Hela. I don't know why I said that. I didn't mean it."

Hela hesitates for a second before giving him a small nod. This makes Clint smile. He gently kisses the top of her head and says, "Thanks."

 

* * *

 

Three minutes after that, Clint is back in the driver's seat. He is now singing along with them, trying to make up for his outburst. It's working.

_"She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes! She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes! She'll be comin' round the mountain, she'll be comin' round the mountain, she'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes!"_

The three kids are in fits of laughter, unable to hold it in. Natasha knows that if he was trying harder, he would sound lovely. She's heard it before. Maybe he's only doing it like this because he's just singing for the kids. Who really knows.

"Hey, look! We're there!"

All three kids look out the windows like they're at some big attraction. Apparently they've never gone to the mall before. Natasha and Clint exchange a glance. These poor children don't know anything about the world.

Clint pulls into a parking place and unbuckles. He gets out of the car and waits for Vali and Narfi to exit the vehicle before moving in to get Hela out of her car seat. She plants a sloppy kiss on his cheek and the archer knows that he has been forgiven.

He helps her out of the car and hands her over to Natasha, who holds the child as Clint digs her crutches out of the back of his car. He gets them ready for her and his partner puts her down. Once everything is all ready, they head up to the mall.

The twins' eyes are wide and round. They can't seem to get enough of the new place around them. Clint wonders if their eyes will dry out before they blink. He really hopes that doesn't happen, because he doesn't know how he would explain that to Loki.

When they get inside, the kids stop dead. Hela stares around her, her mouth slack. The twins spin in a circle. After a second they rush over to the fountain.

"Hey, look! There's money in here!"

Clint calls, "Whoa, whoa, wait. Don't take that out. What did I just say? Put it back. Now!"

Narfi drops the coin back in the water, rolling his eyes. "I wasn't gonna take it! Sheesh."

Vali tugs on his brother's sleeve. He points at a store, an expression of complete happiness on his face. Clint turns his head to see what the boy's looking at and realization dawns on him. They've found the Lego store. Narfi breaks into a grin and the twins run back to Clint.

"Can we go there?"

"Please, please, please, please?"

The twins say simultaneously, " _Please?"_

Clint holds up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. We can go there. Nat, if you and Hela want to go to a different store, just text me where you are. I'll find you when we're done here."

Natasha nods and walks with Hela deeper into the store.

 

* * *

 

"This is so awesome! Vali, you've gotta look at this! Oh, cool! Look at this! Ooh, and this!"

Clint shakes his head and watches the boys running around the store, looking at everything. They seem to like it all. Although he notices that they have avoided the DC section.

"Oh, my gods! It's dad!"

Clint nearly bursts into laughter at Vali's exclamation. It seems that he's found the Marvel section. At last.

"Look! This one has them all! Oh, this is so cool!"

Clint makes his way over to them and asks, "You guys want it?"

Two sets of shining, hopeful eyes turn up to him. "Really?"

"Sure. No problem," Clint says as he takes the box off of the shelf. He takes it up to the counter. He slides it over to the clerk. She just stares. By now the marksman has gotten tired this, and he says in exasperation, "Please stop staring. I'm Hawkeye! So what?"

He can almost hear the heads turning in his direction. He closes his eyes. Oh, how's he tired of this. All at once, several kids - and adults - are crowding around him, begging him to sign this or that. One teenage girl is bold enough to hug him and squeal something unintelligible.

He successfully pushes her off and shouts, "If you want an autograph, line up! No shoving! No pushing! No being mean in any sort of way!"

Everyone instantly falls into line, each person looking around the one in front of them.

 

* * *

  
 

Natasha and Hela are having similar problems. Every man they pass locks his eyes on Natasha. When one of them dares to get close to her, she delivers a powerful punch to his stomach, sending him reeling backwards. He casts her a frightened glance before running away as fast as his legs can take him.

Natasha looks down at Hela, smirking, and says, "That's how to take care of a guy. Remember that."

Hela nods, a small, crooked smile on her lips. The two girls find their way to a shoe store. Natasha smiles down at Hela and asks, "Do you wanna get some new shoes?"

Hela nods, grinning. "I'd love to!"

Natasha grins back. She's glad that the child has started to realize that she can have things. A small bit of her is worried that Loki might be upset about the change in his daughter. That little piece is completely overtaken by the larger that knows that it's better for Hela to be more outgoing and acceptant of gifts.

Inside the shoe store, Natasha pulls out her phone and texts Clint where they are so he'll know where to find them. When she looks back up, she sees Hela limping over to a pair of bright pink rain boots with a pretty flower pattern. She goes over to the girl and smiles when she asks, "Can I get these?"

Natasha nods. She says, "You can get whatever you want. If you want to get another pair, you can do that, too."

Hela looks like she might burst with happiness. Natasha sits her down and helps her change from her little buckle shoes to the rain boots. She smiles and says, "You look wonderful!"

Hela's grin stretches further, if that's even possible. It seems that she has never been told that she looked pretty. She stands with Natasha's help and looks down at her feet. She wiggles them around and giggles slightly. She turns her face back up to Natasha and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent can see the happiness in her good eye.

The next five minutes are spent searching the little shoe store for another pair of shoes for Hela. Finally they find some adorable white sandals. When she puts them on, Natasha puts on a melodramatic tone and says, "You look absolutely _fabulous_ , darling!"

Hela explodes in a fit of giggles. She has to hold onto Natasha to keep from laughing herself off of the bench. Natasha herself is laughing, her blue eyes sparkling.

After they buy the shoes, Natasha and Hela head out of the store. Natasha, being the multi-tasker she is, texts Clint to meet them at the fountain while she's keeping an eye out for any more troublesome guys and walls. Hela just watches her with admiration. She's everything that the girl wishes she could be and knows that she never will. Pretty, smart, nice, talented... Everything. And Hela is just Hela. The half dead little girl who can barely form understandable words. Who can barely walk. Who will never be pretty, smart, nice or talented.

Natasha notices the forlorn look on Hela's face. She recognizes the look, too. A look of wishing and of not having. She had seen the girl staring at her and knows what she must be thinking of. She crouches down, gently putting her hands on the sides of Hela's arms.

"You're perfect just the way you are. Nobody could be a better you. You're beautiful, both on the inside and out. Don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise. And if anybody ever picks on you or says that you aren't pretty, let me know and I'll beat 'em up, okay?"

Hela nods, comforted by Natasha's words. They go on their way, a smile playing on Hela's lips.


	9. Shopping Part 2

Fifteen minutes later, Clint and his little charges meet up with Natasha and hers at the food court. The boys run over to Hela and produce their shopping bag. At first, Hela is confused. Then when Narfi opens the bag, she sees the box inside. Her face lights up and she smiles. Vali beams at her. He notices her boots and says, "Those are cute!"

Hela smiles and says softly, "Thanks. Miss Natasha bought them for me."

Vali and Narfi look up at Clint and Natasha and say in unison, "You guys are so awesome! Where did you learn to be so cool?"

Natasha laughs quietly and Clint ruffles Vali's carefully combed hair. "Don't worry about it, kid. You've got plenty of cool."

Narfi and Vali both look up at them. Vali pats his hair back down. He seems to be more like Loki out of the two brothers. Narfi reminds Clint more of Thor, though. He's more outgoing and crazy, where Vali is more refined, like his father.

Narfi says, "Good. That means we don't have to change."

Vali nods and says, "We've had too much change. Our lives have been one big change. First we lived in Asgard, then we moved to Alfheim, then we went back to Asgard. Now we're living here and it's confusing. I don't know what to get used to anymore. We're afraid to make friends, because we can't keep them. We never live in the same place long enough."

Clint and Natasha wear surprised expressions. They exchange a look and Clint says, "We're gonna talk to your dad. We'll get him to let you stay in one place. Hopefully here. That way you won't have to move again."

Hela says softly, "I don't want to leave you two. You're the closest things to friends that we have."

Natasha crouches down and says, "We'll talk to him. But we can't force him to make any decisions. You have to understand this."

Hela nods. She doesn't feel any better, though. If anything, Natasha's words make her feel worse. She looks down at her new boots. "Are you gonna want these if we have to move again?"

Natasha fights a smile. She says gently, "No, you can keep them. Please do."

Hela nods dejectedly. She whispers, "I don't want them if I can't be here. They won't be as pretty."

Natasha feels like she could cry. And she can't have that, because that would ruin her makeup. She also doesn't want to cry in front of the kids. Especially out in public. It's not that she doesn't want to seem weak to them. She doesn't care about that anymore. She feels like the kids are sorta like family. Family she has to be strong for. This is important to her, because she didn't have anyone strong for her. She feels like she needs to be strong for these little kids. These three kids who aren't stable need to have someone to be there for them. And she feels responsible, like _she_ needs to be the one to be there.

Clint looks at the boys and thinks how the kids must be feeling confused. With a parent like Loki, who is technically a prince, they have to feel that they have to be great. That they have to do something big. He can tell by the way they just sometimes stop and seem to think. The archer likes to believe that he knows what they're thinking. He thinks that the three of them must be asking themselves what their father would do. Because when they start moving again, they act differently, and Clint can see Loki in their movements. If Vali is looking excited and happy, he will stop and his eyes will go empty. He seems blank, like his father. He seems to be above the others. If Narfi is being crazy, like he often does, he will fall completely still. A sad look will come across his face and he'll look down. Clint can see the submissive Loki when the boy does this. When Hela finally smiles, it disappears almost immediately. This was the first thing Clint noticed about the girl. She hardly ever smiled, and when she did, they were only small, fleeting glimpses of what her real smiles might be like. Clint doesn't recall ever seeing her truly happy. Not for very long, at least. She always hides her smiles. She makes them go away too soon. He gets the same feeling when he sees Loki and Hela smile. He feels that he wants to make the smile stay, and that he wants to take away some of the bitterness. He wants to make both of them happy. He wants them to stay happy.

Narfi breaks the awkward silence by asking, "Uh, guys? Are you okay?"

Clint shakes his head as if to get the thoughts out and Natasha stands, saying, "Yeah, we're fine. Sorry."

Hela says softly, "I'm hungry."

The twins murmur their agreement and Clint says, "Well, why do you think we're here! To eat! You guys can pick out whatever you want."

"Whatever we want?" If the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents didn't know any better they'd think that the three kids were triplets by the way they say that together. They seem so in tune with one another.

"Yeah. Whatever you want." Natasha pauses for a moment before going on, "We'll even get you dessert."

 

* * *

 

 After lunch, which included a dessert, the little group heads off to, in Clint's words, "The best comic book shop ever."

This comic book shop is empty except for the man behind the counter. He doesn't even look up from his comic as he says in a monotonous voice, "Hello, welcome to Galactic Comics. Let me know if you need anything."

Clint answers, "Yeah, um, hi. Can you tell me if you have the new Avengers comic in yet?"

The guy looks up and nearly topples out of his too-small chair. "Whoa! No way! It's like, Hawkeye!  Lewis, it's Hawkeye! Oh gosh, man, please don't like, hurt us, or anything, bro."

Clint raises an eyebrow and looks at Natasha. He then turns back to the cashier, sticking up his thumbs. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just came for my comic....dude-man."

The man opens and closes his mouth as if trying to say something. Eventually he closes his mouth and stares. A few seconds later, Darcy comes out of the back door.  She says calmly, "Hey, Clint."

She doesn't seem very surprised or impressed by the Avengers in front of her. Clint smiles at her and asks, "Do you have the new Avengers comic in yet?"

Darcy nods and says, "Right where you usually find them. You're the first one here for it, as usual."

Clint nods at her. He then leads his friends along to the back of the store. They pass many different kinds of comics. Some for kids, some _not_ for kids. Hela gasps. She turns, forgetting that there is a shelf right behind her and smashes slam into it. She falls down onto her bum and says plainly, "Ow."

Narfi's eyes widen when he sees what made his sister turn. He sits down beside her and covers her eyes with his hands, whispering, "Don't look at that."

Vali's eyes round out and his mouth drops open. He plops down beside his siblings. One hand covers Narfi's eyes and the other his own. Natasha looks over, wondering why they're freaking out so much. She bursts into laughter when she see the cover of the comic they're hiding from. It has a woman on the front. The woman is wearing a very form-fitting shirt and short shorts.

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea to bring them here, Clint. Every little thing freaks them out."

Clint looks over at the comic and says, "Well, I'm scared of that, too." He flips the comic book around so that the back is showing. On the back is a man pointing a gun. It's not as scary as the woman on the front, though.

When they finally get to the Avengers section, Clint snatches up one of the copies and holds it close to his chest. He then pulls it out and kisses the cover.

"I love you so much."

Natasha rolls her eyes. This is one of those times when she secretly wishes that she were his favorite comic book. But alas, she is not. She must settle for occasional hugs, where the inanimate objects get Clint's undying love. Oh, how jealous she is. Not that she would ever tell anyone that. No. The Black Widow has to keep her secrets. She can't let anyone know that she really, really, really wants Clint to like her back.

What she doesn't know is that Clint is thinking nearly the same thing. He has to settle for the occasional hug when what he really wants to do is hold her tight. Not like the comforting hugs they give one another when they've had nightmares, but real hugs. Hugs just for no reason. He wishes he could hug her just to hug her. But he feels certain that those kinds of hugs would make her uncomfortable, and he doesn't want to do anything that might eliminate him as one of her few friends. He wishes they were more, but understands that she might not want to be more. Not just with him, but with anyone. With their line of work, it's dangerous to get too attached. You never know when you'll die or when someone you care for will die. It's just not a good idea.

Clint is jolted out of his thoughts by a small hand waving in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to Mr. Clint," Narfi says as he flails his hand around.

Clint laughs absently and braves a glance over at Natasha. She is trying not to look at him. This makes him very upset. Now he knows that she doesn't want to be more. If she won't even look at him when they're just friends, how would she act if they were in a relationship? He doesn't even want to know the answer to that question.

He says softly, "Let's go. I'm done."

The kids stand and walk after Clint and Natasha. He takes them up to the counter where he pays the stunned man. Just as he's turning to leave, the cashier holds out his comic book. Clint sees that it, too, is the new Avengers one.

"Will you sign this for me?"

Clint smiles. He takes the pen and comic that the man holds out to him. He puts on the inside cover, _'Aim high. - Hawkeye aka, Clinton Barton'_.

Clint truly believes that that man might have fainted if he wasn't working.

 

* * *

 

As they wander around aimlessly after that, Clint espies an escalator. He does a sort of squeal thing and points to them. "Can we do those?"

Natasha gives him an incredulous look and says, "If you want to. But you know, only lazy people or people who can't use normal stairs use escalators."

Clint answers, "Not if you know how to use them right. Come on, I'll show you."

He hands his beloved comic book over to Vali and walks toward the stairs. He looks around, seeming to be looking out for something or someone. Then he starts running up the escalator that moves downward. Once he reaches the top, he looks down, his hands raised above his head."Yeah! Wooooo!"  

Natasha shakes her head, but she can't keep the smile off of her face. Narfi and Vali look over at her and she gestures toward the escalator with a sweeping motion of her arm. "Go ahead."

The twins run over to the moving stairs. They run up it, just as Clint had done. They aren't quite as fast as he was, but they aren't as tall as he is, either. He's also had practice, and this is the twins' first time for it. They do exceptionally well considering the details.

Hela looks wistful, as if she wishes she could do it, too. She watches her brothers dance in celebration when they reach the top. Natasha asks quietly, "You wanna go, too?"

Hela nods and answers, "I can't. I'm not strong enough."

Natasha makes a face. "Pfff. Whatever. I bet you can do it better than Clint. Come on, let's see."

She takes Hela's crutches and puts them on the escalator going up. It's a convenient system. The escalator takes the crutches right up where Clint grabs them and props them against the wall. Natasha then lifts Hela and carries her over to the escalator. They move up the stairs, Natasha holding the girl up by her arms. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent lifts her for every step, helping her to climb up the down escalator.

The smile never leaves Hela's face.


	10. Shopping Part 3

About ten minutes later, a mall cop makes the group leave the escalator. Clint turns back and sticks his tongue out at him as they walk away. Natasha rolls her eyes, but can't keep the smirk off of her face.

"Where do you guys want to go next?" Clint asks.

The boys shrug. They're still not sure what exactly will be in a mall. They've seen several stores, some they now wish that they hadn't. Others have been neat to look at through the windows, but they didn't look cool enough to go into.

Hela asks softly, "Can we go in there?" She points to a store that is small compared to the others in the mall. The sign above the store reads simply, _The Holiday Store._ In the windows are stick on Halloween decorations. There are the classic bloody warnings, posters and things like that. Fake caution tape is wrapped around the store.

Clint smiles. How ironic. The goddess of death has a thing for Halloween. The archer casts a glance at his partner. When he sees the smile on the redhead's face, he can tell that she's thinking the same thing. Narfi looks excited about going in. Vali, on the other hand, looks a bit scared. He also looks like he's trying to hide his fear. Like he's scared to let the others know that he's scared.

Hela turns her young eyes up to Clint. He keeps forgetting that the right one is completely white and blind. It startles him every time he sees it. This time he actually jumps slightly. Hela frowns. "What's wrong?"

Clint shakes his head, trying to shake off the shock. "Nope."

Hela looks down. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to ask for something bad."

Clint laughs softly. "No, not that. I meant nope as in nothing's wrong. But yes. We can go into the shop."

Hela looks up, her lopsided smile reaching her eyes. She bounces as much as her leg will allow. "Ooh! Yay!"

Clint chuckles as he leads her and the rest of the group into the little shop. The shopkeeper looks up at them. Clint is surprised to see someone who didn't completely freak out when they saw the group. She just looks over them with a mildly curious expression. Her eyes rest on Hela for a moment before she gives them all a kind smile.

"Can I help you with anything today?"

Clint shakes his head, smiling slightly. "No ma'am. We're just looking around."

The woman nods and turns back to her work. Hela's eyes go directly to the costumes. She looks very excited.

"I wanna go there!"

Clint nods. He says, "Just a second."

He turns to the woman behind the counter and asks, "Can you tell me where the adult costumes are? I'd like to avoid those. Young eyes, you know."

The woman looks up, still smiling. She nods and points to the back right corner. "They're right back there. We have a wall separating them."

Clint nods. "Thanks."

He looks back at the kids and says, "Go on! Have fun, but don't go in there." He gestures to the room with the adult costumes.

Hela and her brothers nod and take off toward the children's costumes. Hela immediately finds a princess dress. It has a wide bottom and is bright yellow. There is lace around the collar and the bottom edge. She runs her fingers over the fabric, looking wistful.

Clint looks at Natasha and they nod to one another. Then they walk toward the kids. Clint comes up beside the boys and says, "Pick whatever you want. Halloween's on me!"

The twins' eyes widen. They start to rifle through the costumes, trying to find cool ones. They end up finding several super hero costumes, but none that are as nice as Hela's. Then Vali finds an amazing costume. Or rather, costumes. It's a set of two, bottles, one red and one yellow. The twins pull the bag out and present it to Clint.

"Can we get these?" they both ask.

Clint nods, grinning. "Yeah, sure! Those are great for you guys!"

He looks back at Natasha and smiles when he sees the redhead leading Hela to the changing room. He then turns back to the boys and asks, "Do you want to try those on?"

When they nod, he takes them to the dressing room. Amazingly enough, the costumes fit with the first sizes grabbed. Clint is thankful for this, because he has never liked standing around and waiting for people to try on set after set of clothes.

They head up to the counter to pay, toting their new costumes. The woman rings them up and Clint pays by swiping a StarkCard. Tony gave each member of the Avengers a StarkCard so they would have access to his cornucopian bank account. Clint is glad for this. Now more than ever, as the costumes rack up a grand total of 100 bucks even. He lets out a low whistle and the cashier smiles.

"Yeah. I think they're a bit overpriced myself, but hey. I just work here."

Natasha chuckles. "At least we have a card, though."

The woman nods, grinning. She asks, "So, are you planning on having a big Halloween party?"

Clint shakes his head. Natasha looks thoughtful, though. Like she thinks it might be a good idea to do that. Clint says, "Nah. These three are Loki's kids, and they've never had any fun. We just thought it would be good to start with Halloween. Do you know anywhere with good candy?"

The cashier nods. She then explains how to get to a great neighborhood with lots of nice old couples who generously give kids candy. Loki's children's faces light up with each description she provides.

By the time they leave the shop, the kids' expressions resemble those that they might have on Christmas morning.

 

* * *

 

 

They go around to the other shops in the mall, and Clint doesn't notice how late it's gotten until he sees the dark sky through a window. Hela drags her feet more than usual, her eyes droopy and tired. Narfi and Vali both look tired, too. The look around, not half so energetic as usual. Even Natasha looks exhausted. She keeps brushing her hair out of her face, even if it hasn't fallen forward. Clint is the only one who isn't completely tired.

The archer smiles slightly and asks, "Do you guys want to go back home?"

He gets four nods in return. Hela mumbles, "I'm tired...."

Clint chuckles. "Okay. Let's go."

He leads them to the exit, smiling at those that they pass by. The mall is close to closing now, and there aren't many people there now. Most of the people still in the building are workers and night owls. Clint falls under the night owl categories. It seems that none of the others in his little group are, though.

When they finally reach the car, Clint helps Hela get into her car seat, buckling her up. Natasha puts their purchases in the trunk before sliding into the passenger seat. She buckles up and lets her head fall against the headrest.

Clint makes sure that the boys are buckled up before climbing into his seat and clicking his seatbelt into place. He takes off to the soft snores of Vali and Narfi and the deep breaths of Natasha. If he didn't know that Hela was there, he wouldn't now. She's completely silent.

When they get back to Loki's house, Clint carries all the kids inside. They're all fast asleep, as is Natasha. He changes Hela into her nightclothes and tucks her into bed. He then does the same with the boys. When they're all settled down, he goes out to the car and brings their purchases inside. When he comes back inside, he finds Natasha asleep on the couch. He sits down beside her and turns on the TV. It doesn't take long before he too has fallen into dreams.


	11. Time To Say Goodbye

When Clint and Natasha wake up, they find the kids gone. The agents scramble off of the couch they had been sleeping on and search the house, calling out the children's names. There isn't any answer. They meet back up in the living room and go into the front yard together. The three little ones aren't there, either. Then the two partners head out the back door. Loki's kids aren't there, either. Clint turns to Natasha with a look of dread in his eyes.

"Loki's gonna kill us," he whispers.

Natasha still looks determined. "Not if he doesn't know. All we have to do is find them and get them to promise not to tell him that we lost them."

Clint nods, liking the sound of that idea. It's always Natasha who gets the good ideas. Always Natasha who knows what to do in times of trouble. She's the redhead with the plan.

When the phone rings from inside, Clint's eyes go wide again. He runs inside and answers the phone trying not to sound too breathless. He fails.

"He-he-hello-o?"

_"Barton, you said that you could take care of them!"_

Uh-oh. Angry dad on the phone. Clint doesn't even know how the black haired god knows that his kids are missing. Then he hears the laughter in the background. Little boys' laughter. A pair of little boys laughing. Must be Narfi and Vali. But how in the world - any of the worlds - did they get all the way to the hospital so fast? Without a car, to boot.

"Um, we can. It's just....we fell asleep last night, and....they kind of...got away?"

_"I can see that. It is very clear that they got away. But the point of babysitting a child is to keep watch over them. Which you obviously did not do. Is it really so hard? You and Miss Romanoff said that you could take care of them, and you have not. You let them get halfway across town before you even noticed that they were gone. What if one of them had been hurt? What if Hela had gotten hit by one of those bloody cars you mortals are so insistent upon using everywhere you go? What if she had died!?"_

Clint can tell that Loki is panicking. He isn't just mad, he's scared. He believes that those things could have happened.

"You're right. That could've happened, Loki. But it didn't. So just calm down, will ya?"

_"Did you not hear me? I asked you to watch over them! You know, in Asgard, you would be **killed** for letting them get so far away. For putting them in danger."_

"Well, we're not in Asgard, are we? We're on Earth. Where there aren't those crazy laws! Do you want me to go get them for you?"

_"You think I would trust you? Just get out of my house and lock the door. You will never even look at my children again. Do you understand me?"_

Clint opens and closes his mouth. He doesn't really know what to say to that. He didn't mean for this to happen, so why is Loki acting like he sent the kids out on their own on purpose? Why is he acting like he let them go on some stupid quest through a strange land? Then it dawns on him. He did. Loki's children aren't used to Earth. They don't know how much different it is. They don't understand the dangers of this world. Clint doubts that they have even been near a street unless they were in a car themselves. Three little kids - one with crutches - just walked all the way to the hospital, which is at least seven miles from Loki's house. The streets are pretty busy to and from the hospital, too. And they didn't have any adults with them on their perilous hike.

"Look, Loki. I'm sorry. I really am. Is there anything I can do to make up for it? I mean, I know that you're pretty upset. I am, too. But there's gotta be something that will make you not hate me, at least. We were such good friends."

Clint can hear Loki sigh. He sounds like he's almost ready to forgive the archer. Then he says, _"The only thing you can do is just stay away from them. Stay away from all of us."_

Natasha notices the look on Clint's face and moves closer to him. She can't hear anything on Loki's end, though, so she doesn't know what's going on. She looks at her partner and asks softly, "What is it, Clint? Is everything okay?"

Clint answers with a shake of his head. He says into the phone, "Okay. That's fine. I'm sorry. I really am."

_"That's all well and good, but being sorry does not, by any means, make it all better. This isn't just some scrape that you can kiss it and make it better. This is real, Barton."_

Clint is dumbstruck. He says quietly, "Right. Where do you want me to put the keys?"

_"There's a loose brick beside the steps. Slide it out and put the keys in the hole. The brick should go back in easily. Just leave them there."_

"Okay.  Anything else?"

Loki is quiet for a moment before saying, _"No. There isn't anything else."_

Once they end their phone call, Clint turns to Natasha. He looks extremely upset. He says quietly, "I messed up. Big time."

 

* * *

 

Loki sighs and slips his cell phone back into his pocket. He looks at his family. Hela and the twins are crowded around Sigyn, who holds the new baby. She gazes up at him with a tired, sad expression. She tries to smile, but Loki can easily tell that it is forced. He moves over to her and gently strokes back her hair.

"I'm sorry, darling. I thought they would be able to take care of them. I guess I was wrong."

Sigyn closes her eyes and leans against his touch. She doesn't blame Clint or Natasha, but can't help but feel a little let down. She had trusted them just as much as Loki. Maybe more. Things had been going so well, too. She cracks her eyes open slightly and peeks at her three children, each trying to get a better look at the baby. Why had they left in the first place? Had one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents hurt them in any way? No, that can't be it. They look too happy. Maybe it was because it was the first time that they had gone more than a day without their parents.

She opens her eyes fully and addresses Vali, "Why did you three leave?"

Vali looks a bit embarrassed as he says quietly, "We missed you."

Sigyn smiles faintly. She says, "You worried us, sweetheart. You could have been hurt. You do realize this, right?"

Vali nods. He feels like he has let his parents down. Like they had been counting on him to keep his siblings in line, and he had failed on his one very important mission. His voice is so soft that it is barely audible when he whispers, "I'm sorry, Mama. I didn't mean to scare you."

Sigyn leans up and gently kisses his forehead. She says softly in his ear, "It's okay now. Just promise me that you won't do it again. Can you promise that?"

Vali nods slightly. "I promise."

Sigyn smiles again. "Thank you."

 

* * *

 

Clint slides into the driver's seat and closes the door. He buckles his seatbelt and puts his hands on the steering wheel, his eyes straight ahead. Natasha can tell that he is fighting off tears as she fastens her own seatbelt. She wishes she could say something, but doesn't know what to say.

Clint swallows and asks quietly, "You think they'll find them?"

Natasha nods. They had put notes in the kids' bedrooms, explaining why they wouldn't be able to see them anymore. The notes were hard to write, because both of the assassins were fighting off tears. It seems like the hardest enemies to battle are your own feelings.

Clint nods and takes off. They can hear the gravel crunching under the car as it moves slowly down the driveway. Natasha watches the receding house as Clint backs away from it. Before long it is hidden behind trees as Clint drives down the road. He seems to be driving a lot slower than usual, and Natasha believes that it's because he isn't quite ready to say goodbye to the kids. He isn't ready to not see them anymore. They weren't only little kids to babysit, but friends. People who didn't care about who they used to be or what they did for a living, but who knew them as people who would take care of them and play with them. As these thoughts invade Natasha's mind, she feels tears prick at the corners of her eyes. It wouldn't do to cry, though. She might mess up her makeup.

The radio stays off for the entire ride. This is strange, because usually Clint has it turned all the way up, blaring his music as he speeds down the road. This time it is the complete opposite. He drives much more slowly than usual and the silence is harder to deal with than the overly loud rock music.

Natasha pulls her book out, but finds herself reading each line multiple times. She just can't keep her mind wrapped around it. Her thoughts keep going back to the look Hela gave her when she had said, _"I don't want them if I can't be here. They won't be as pretty."_

Clint has to slam on the brakes when the same car as before runs a red light. He breaks into a grin and shouts, "Three times! They've almost hit us three times!" If Natasha wasn't shocked enough by his words, she gets her fill when he starts laughing like a maniac. Luckily he's still able to drive properly.

"Clint, what's wrong with you?" She sounds very concerned. Very, very concerned.

Clint shakes his head. "Nothing. I just can't believe that this happened. It just seems so...staged."

He makes a last-minute decision and turns into the hospital parking lot, earning a few honks from other drivers. Natasha's eyes are wide and she's holding onto the sides of the seat tightly as he whips into a parking space. He unbuckles and climbs out of the car. When he's out, sliding the keys into his pocket, he looks down at Natasha and asks, "Are you comin'?"

Natasha nods hesitantly and unbuckles her own seatbelt. She gets out of the car much more slowly than Clint did. She is pretty worried for his mental health and stability. She really is.

"Cliiiiint? Are you okay?" She drags out his name, making herself sound even more unsure.

Clint nods fervently. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to say goodbye. And maybe we'll be able to convince Loki not to be such a stick in the mud."

Natasha nods slowly. She has a bit of trouble keeping up with him as he bounds up to the hospital. He's already taller, and he's moving so quickly that it is incredibly hard to keep up with him. She usually doesn't have so much trouble, and she's amazed by how determined his long strides are.

When they finally get up to the doors, Clint holds open the door for a little girl in a wheelchair. They have to stand forever, because apparently her whole family went with her. There's a woman holding a baby, maybe the girl's mother. Then there's her father, three siblings, a grandmother, a grandfather, and some other couple walking with them. Clint taps his foot, growing impatient. But he holds the door anyway, too polite to close it on the family.

After the procession passes, the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents walk up to the desk. Clint gets there ahead of Natasha, unsurprisingly.

"We're here to see Sigyn."

The woman looks up over her glasses, unimpressed. "Sigyn who?"

Clint looks at Natasha. "Uh......um, well...Sigyn...Lokiswife?"

The woman rolls her eyes. "I assume you know her? Even if you don't know her name."

Clint nods. "Yeah. She's a friend."

The woman looks down and pulls open a drawer. She flips through several files before pulling one out and handing it to Natasha. "Here you go. These are her papers, explaining her condition. Be sure to follow all the rules. Last I checked she had a migraine, so be quiet. I don't want to have to shove you out, but I will if needed."

Natasha nods, muttering her thanks. She looks down at the papers and says, "Come on, Clint. Follow me, this time."

Clint grumbles, but follows her down the hall. When they reach Sigyn's room, Natasha stops him.

"You know when I'm really easy to anger? When I have headaches and stuff? Well, Sigyn's gonna be that way. So be quiet."

"You mean I can't say anything?" Clint looks very upset. How is he supposed to convince Loki to let them still see the kids if he isn't able to talk?

"No, you can talk. Just be quiet about it. Whisper if you have to."

Clint nods. Natasha opens the door slowly, trying to keep it quiet. She cringes when it squeaks.

Loki whips his head around and snaps, "What are you doing here? Who let you in?"

Clint answers bluntly, "We did."

Natasha elbows his ribs. "Can it."

Clint rubs his side, casting her a death glare. Loki practically growls at them. He steps toward them, and Clint can see a flash of how he was when he was being controlled. Angry. Very angry.

"Get. Out."

Clint holds up his hands and spews out in one breath, "Wejustcametogetyoutoletusseethekidsmorebecausewereallylikethemandwedidn'tmeantoletthemgetaway."

Natasha facepalms. She evidently isn't impressed by his 'speech'.

Loki raises an eyebrow. "Come again?"

Clint takes a breath before saying extra slowly, "We just came to get you to let us see the kids more because we really like them and we didn't mean to let them get away."

Loki seems to contemplate this for a moment. He looks over at the kids, who are sleeping quietly on either side of Sigyn. Vali and Narfi are on one side and Hela is on her other. The baby has been taken back to the nursery so Sigyn could have a bit more peace. The woman's pale blue eyes watch Clint and Natasha tiredly.

Loki turns back to the agents and begins slowly, "Well..."

Clint can feel more tears well up in his eyes. No, no, no, no, _no!_ He can't cry now! That's not manly! Loki looks shocked by the archer's tears. He hadn't expected that.

"As loath as I am to say this..."

Clint's eyes widen in hope. A single tear slides down his cheek.

"I suppose you can still visit. Sometimes. Not often. Once a month. No, every two months."

Clint looks happy, but still not as happy as he could.

Loki sighs and says reluctantly, "Fine. You can visit as much as you want. Just call first."

Clint flings his arms around Loki. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you so much!"

Loki hesitantly returns the hug. He _definitely_ wasn't expecting _that._ "Um...you're welcome?"

Sigyn smiles slightly. Her head falls back and she closes her eyes. Natasha walks over to her and asks softly, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Sigyn shakes her head. Her voice is even quieter than the first time they met when she says, "No. I'm just really tired."

Natasha nods. The redhead has a slight smile on her face as she looks at the children. They look so peaceful in their sleep. When she looks more closely at Hela, she sees the tiniest of smiles on her lips. After seeing this, she decides to look at the boys, too. Narfi's mouth hangs open slightly. He snores, but not loudly. When she looks at Vali, she's surprised to see that his eyes are cracked open a bit. They snap shut all the way when he realizes that she's looking at him.

He was awake for the whole thing.


	12. The End

Clint took the kids home after they woke up. The car ride was quiet, but that was mostly because they were still too sleepy to do much. When they got back to the house, Natasha pulled the kids out of the car and settled them down in the living room. Then she and Clint proceeded to teach them how to play _Mouse Trap._ That's where they are now.

Natasha grins when Narfi turns the crank with great enthusiasm. He takes all of his turns like this. He overdoes everything. She doesn't recall ever seeing or hearing about a boy having so much fun with a board game.

About five minutes into one game, Narfi turns the crank way too hard. He shouts, "Have some, stupid mouse!"

The marble flies back and cracks his forehead, bouncing off and landing in his lap. He looks confused and amazed. There's quite a bit of surprise on his face, too.

Vali can't stop cackling. He says between laughs, "I think that marble just said, 'have some'!"

Narfi wrinkles up his nose and curls his top lip back, waggling his head at his brother. "Uuunn! Whatever."

Vali rolls his eyes and pulls the marble from his brother's lap and puts it back in place. Then he takes his turn. He's more careful as he turns the crank, though. He doesn't want to be hit.

Too bad. He gets hit anyway. The ball rolls down the track, but when it gets to the boot, all goes wrong. The boot kicks the marble too hard to be natural. It soars through the air and hits his head. When it bounces off, he scowls. 

Narfi explodes into laughter. "That marble's generous!"

Hela smiles. When she looks around at the others, she can tell that she's the only one who got Narfi's joke. Natasha looks over at Clint, who appears completely clueless. Vali has a puzzled look on his face, his left eyebrow raised in question.

Narfi's smile fades. "Generous? You know... You said that the marble said 'have some', and it hit you, too. It gave us both some... It's generous..."

Clint and Natasha nod slowly, but Vali just looks annoyed.

"Whatever."

Hela picks up the marble from the floor and sets it in place. She gently turns the crank and sits patiently as it moves. When it gets to the spiral, she leans down to watch it. The little ball jumps the edge of the track and smacks her right in between her eyes. She jumps back, startled. Her wide eyes are a bit cute. She lifts the marble from the ground and hands it to Clint.

"Your turn."

Clint takes the ball warily. It seems to him that the little ball wants to be a murderer. He puts it back in place and turns the crank, looking away. His other arm covers his face as if he's afraid that the ball will jump up at him. Truthfully, Natasha wouldn't be surprised if it did. She'd be a bit disturbed, but not surprised.

When the ball rolls down the track, Clint watches between two fingers. He's almost positive that it'll try to kill him. It gets all the way to the diver. That's when things get scary. The diver jumps off in an impossible angle and hits the end of his nose.

Clint falls back, clutching his nose. He rolls around, his feet smacking the game and knocking it apart. When he sits up, he finds destruction.  The game pieces are scattered all over the floor. He looks over at Natasha. His partner is glaring at him. If looks could kill....

Clint hunkers down, scared. The only time he has ever seen Natasha look at him like this, he had a bloody nose four seconds later. He peers up at her, worried. He is met with her palm. Not in a slap, though. She shoves him back down onto the floor, laughing.

"Fix it."

 

* * *

 

Once Clint puts the game back together, they realize that they don't even want to play anymore. He then takes it apart and places all the pieces into the brightly colored box. He carries it back to the game shelf and is surprised to find that Loki has multiple games. Some are in other languages and Clint can't read them. Others appear to be from Asgard. He looks around for a minute before he finds an enormous collection of children's games. _Candy Land, Hi Ho Cherry-O, Chutes and Ladders,_ and _Guess Who_ are just some the seemingly hundreds of games.  Clint wonders how Loki can be such a stick in the mud if there are this many games in his house.

He calls in a soft voice, "Hey, Nat? I want-whoa...."

He is staring at a particular bookshelf. It's stuffed with chess sets. Clint is shocked by the enormity of the amassment of boards. Each one is different. Some have pictures on each square. Some have colors that differ from the normal black and white. Clint is drawn to one board in particular that has glossy black and deep green squares. Around the edges is a thin line of gold. Not the overly shiny gold, but real gold. Clint pulls this one down, his eyes wide in awe. It's beautiful. It's pretty heavy, probably made of marble. It is also thick enough to hold the pieces upright embedded into the sides of the board. The pieces themselves are the same glossy black as the squares. The other pieces are the same gold as the trim.

Clint is so amazed by the set that he doesn't hear the front door open or Loki's call of, "We're back!" He doesn't even hear the kids giggling and running. He doesn't hear Natasha fawning over the baby. He doesn't hear Sigyn's tired laugh or the kids', "Eeeew!" as their parents must kiss. He doesn't notice anything until Loki's voice is right by his ear.

"That one is my favorite."

Clint jumps. He nearly drops the chess set, but Loki's hand is under the board, supporting it. Clint looks up at him to see the god's eyes fixed on a completely different set. A slender, pale finger points to what Clint thought was the ugliest, most un-Loki of all the sets. He screws up his face.

"Why _that_ one? It's hideous."

It's true. That particular set has to be the ugliest in the assortment. The pieces are made of rough, carved wood. They aren't nicely carved, though. They look like they were carved by a child. A child who is not very artistic. The wood isn't nice, either. The wood is like sticks one might find in their backyard and shaved down. Granted, they're thick sticks, but they aren't nice. They haven't been stained or sanded at all. They look rough. They look primitive.

"When I was small, Odin and Mother gave me my first chess set. It was lovely. The pieces were made of marble, like the one you're holding. They were black and white, nothing overly special, but I loved it so much. Up until then, they didn't know what I liked. I had gotten books, which I loved, but they were below my level. When they presented that gift, I was overjoyed. I had never had anything so beautiful."

Loki's eyes have turned gentle and a soft smile decorates his thin lips.

"I received lessons in playing the game. To be honest, I was pretty good. In a month's time, I had completely mastered it. I could play and win against our tutor. You know, the one I introduced you to when we were in Asgard."

Clint chuckles and nods. "Yeah, I remember him."

Loki smiles before he continues. "He was the best chess player in the entire castle. Before I came along, of course. After I learned how to play, I defeated him easily. Every time we played, I would win. He was so frustrated that after a time he stopped playing with me. After that, I amused myself by playing on my own. It wasn't as fun as playing against another person, but I had nothing else to do.

"One time, I had left the board in my bedroom, a game half-played on it. I had a headache, as is common for young magic users. Going outside often relieved some of the pain, so I had gone out to my mother's garden. The same one you went to. I sat by those roses and eventually fell asleep.

"Unbeknownst to me, Thor was searching for me in the palace. He was in search of someone to play with him, and as his friends quickly bored of his boisterous acts, came to me. I wasn't in my room, though; I was outside. Thor rushed into the room, or so he says, and trampled over the board. This knocked over all the pieces, mixing them up. Thor sat down, trying to sort out the ones that I had already laid aside and the ones that were still in play. Apparently he didn't notice the gigantic _crack_ running down the _middle of the board_. When he lifted it up to place it on my bed, it fell in two. He told me later that he feared that I would kill him."

Clint grins. He can't believe that Thor thought that his little brother even stood a chance killing him. He doesn't now, so he couldn't have then. He didn't even have much control over his magic. That means that the smaller of the two brothers wouldn't even have had any decent weapons to use. At least not strength.

"After a moment's fretting, he ran to our mother to tell her what happened. He is nothing if not honest. When she heard the whole story, she took him out to the garden, where I was still napping. She shook me and I awoke to Thor's tear-streaked face. His chin was trembling and he was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. I could tell immediately that he had done something awful. Probably broke something of mine. Again. And it turned out that my hunch was correct.

"As he explained what happened, my eyes grew wider and wider. Eventually the tears came. When Thor saw my tears, it made him cry, as well. Mother made me forgive him, which was the last thing I wanted to do. He had broken my chess set, _no_ everything was _not_ okay! But I was a prince, so I had to give him my forgiveness. Thor promised to make things better."

Clint's grin grows as he realizes what Loki's getting at. He nods and shifts slightly, indicating that Loki should go on.

"I had expected him to be overly nice and offer to do all sorts of things for me until he got bored. I didn't expect to see a crude imitation of a chess set sitting on my bed a week later. And I really didn't expect a very happy Thor sitting beside it. He looked like he was about to burst with happiness. Now I'd seen happy Thor, but never before had he looked that jubilant. He jumped up off the bed and pulled me over to it. He then pointed out that he had made it. As if I couldn't tell. It had to have been the most disgusting looking chess set in the history of chess sets. But it was beautiful to me. Never before had I laid eyes on a more charming piece of art. To me, it was perfect."

By now, Loki's smile has turned into a Cheshire Cat grin. To be honest, Clint finds it a bit creepy. But Loki seems happy, so he doesn't say anything. He likes seeing Loki happy. In the archer's opinion, he doesn't smile nearly as often as he should.

"Thor has given me a new chess set every year on my birthday ever since. He hasn't made very many of the others, only a few, but they still mean a lot to me. Not one of them has been able to take my heart as much as the first, though."

Loki sets the board on the table and reaches up. He pulls down another, and Clint notices that it looks just as ugly as the other.

"This is the second one he made. That was when I came of age in Asgard."

Loki removes another from a second shelf and puts it beside the other two.

"This one was for my twenty-third birthday. I won Yggdrasil's Chess Championship with this set."

Clint raises an eyebrow. This one is only slightly better than the first two. It's still bad, though. He smiles as Loki pulls down yet another set. This one is much better than the other ones. The pieces are made of dark wood instead of pale. The cuts still aren't all that nice, but it is evident that Thor tried harder on this one than he did on the others.

"And he gave me this one just a few years back. That was the year I got out of the Asgardian prison after trying to take over Midgard. Fun times."

Clint can't help but laugh at that. Sometimes Loki can be pretty funny, but the moments are few and far between. Clint makes it his mission in life to make Loki smile and joke more. Well, that's not the only mission. But it's one that he will actively work on. Right after he makes Phil mad.

 

* * *

 

Later that evening, Clint and Natasha finally head out. They've hung out all day with Loki's family. They've had a lot of fun, too. They watched _Despicable Me_ and ate dinner together. After dinner, they sat around for a while in the living room just talking. When six o'clock rolled around, they noticed how tired Sigyn and Loki look. They both have dark circles under their eyes. They look like all they want to do is sleep. So Clint and Natasha decide to let them sleep.

Loki stops them on the porch, though. He says softly, "Thank you so much for watching over them. I'm sorry that I got so upset. It really wasn't your fault and I should have realized that. I hope you'll forgive me."

Clint nods, smiling. He has long since forgiven Loki. He doesn't have a personal experience, but he can understand that it must be terrifying to find out that someone lost your children. Especially when they show up at your hospital room without their babysitters... So yeah. Clint forgave him when he let them see the kids.

Natasha smiles slightly and says, "Of course."

Loki grins. A real, happy grin. He steps forward and pulls them each into a hug. The only other time they received hugs from Loki he was mostly asleep. Now that he's awake, he feels taller and thinner. His arms are stronger than they look. That must be because he is a god. He may be a puny god, but he's a god all the same.

When he pulls back, there is a faint blush on his normally pale cheeks. His eyes seem to stand out in the dark, illuminated by the stars in the sky. His white teeth shine.

"Thanks again. You don't know how grateful I am."

Clint threatens, "If you thank us one more time, I'm going to strangle you."

Loki chuckles nervously as Natasha nods in agreement with her partner. She knows that Clint would never do that, but it doesn't hurt to hide that from Loki.

Clint clears his throat and says softly, "We'd better go. Tony will be worried about us."

Loki nods and lets them go. He watches as they get in Clint's car and buckle up. He watches Clint drive off and raises a hand in farewell. He turns and heads inside, closing the door behind him. He takes in the sleepy children in the living room and can't help but smile. He lifts the sleeping Hela up off of the couch and carries her into her bedroom. He gently changes her into her pajamas, smiling as he removes the rain boots. He lies her down on her bed and carries out their bedtime kisses, even though she's asleep. He covers her up and turns on her nightlight before walking to the door. He turns off the overhead light and whispers, "I love you." He then closes the door and heads down the stairs to get back to the living room.

Vali and Narfi trudge up to their bedroom, Loki not far behind. When they get there, Loki helps the boys change since they're so tired that they can barely move. He gives them their goodnight kisses as well, smiling when they mutter their sleepy replies. He tucks them into bed. It's a little hard to get on the top bunk, but a dad always manages. He plugs in their nightlight and turns out the overhead light. As he closes the door, he says softly, "I love you."

 

* * *

 

Halfway to Avengers tower, Clint realizes that they didn't get Hela a teddy bear. He whips a u-ey (u-turn) and pulls into a Wal-Mart parking lot. He and Natasha run in and pick out three teddy bears, one for each of the kids. They have to wait for what feels like forever in line before they can pay. When the cashier looks like she's going to ask a question,  Clint just shakes his head and hands her the money. They run out of the store, Clint carrying the plastic bag with the teddy bears in it. They jump in the car and buckle up quickly before speeding back to Loki's house.

When they get there, they see that all the lights are off. Clint mutters something under his breath. He digs around by the bricks until he finds the key. He hates to do this, but it's urgent. It's not like he's a robber, or anything. He's only here to deliver, not take. He shoves the key into the doorknob and turns it as quietly as he can. Once the door is open, he goes inside, still carrying the bag.

He places a stuffed panda in Hela's arms, smiling when she reflexively cuddles it closer and smiles in her sleep. She shifts and he pulls her blanket up further. He catches sight of the note on her dresser and pulls it off, crumpling it up and sticking it in his back pocket.

He goes into Vali and Narfi's room and sneaks their bears into their arms as well. Vali gets a dark brown bear with a cream colored stomach, paws, and muzzle. It has a green ribbon tied around its neck. Narfi's bear is lighter, almost tan. The paws are white, as are the stomach and muzzle. His bear also has a ribbon, but his is blue. Clint snatches the notes off of their dressers as well. They receive the same treatment as Hela's note did.

Clint creeps out of the house, carefully locking the door behind him. He replaces the key and heads over to the car. Natasha is already in the car waiting for him. He climbs into the driver's seat and starts the car, hoping that it doesn't wake up the house residents. He pulls on his seatbelt and throws the plastic bag into the backseat. He drives off down the road, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He can't help but be a bit pleased with himself.

Babysitting wasn't nearly as bad as people made it out to be. Of course, there were messes. There were parts that were hard to deal with, but there wasn't a single bit that he didn't enjoy. When he looks over at Natasha's face, he can tell that she feels the same way.

They both had loads of fun taking care of Loki's little angels.


End file.
